THE  WORLDS 

GREATEST 
MILITARY  SPIES 

AND 

>ECRET  SERVICE 
AGENTS 

GEORGE  BARTON 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

GIFT  OF 

Commodore  Byron  McCandless 


THE  CAPTURE  OF   MAJOR  ANDRE    (See   page   6j ) 


us 

7.70 


TO 

WILLIAM  J.  FLYNN 

CHIEF  OF 
THE  UNITED  STATES  SECRET  SERVICE 

WHOSE  UNTIRING  EFFORTS 
RID  THIS  COUNTRY  OF  FOREIGN   SPIES 
DURING  THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  WAR 


SSlSo9 


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^^  \VORLD'S 
GREATEST 
MILITARY 

SPIES    and 

Secret    Service    Agents 


By  GEORGE  BARTON 


Illustrated 


THE     PAGE     COMPANY 
BOSTON    ^    MDCCCCXVIII 


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Copyright,  1917,  by 
The  Page  Company 


All  ricjhts  reserved 


First  Impression,  October,  1917 
Second  Impression,  July,  1918 


INTRODUCTION 

The  romance  of  war  in  its  most  thrilling  form  is 
exemplified  in  this  narrative  of  the  adventures  of  "The 
World's  Greatest  Military  Spies  and  Secret  Service 
Agents."  IMuch  has  been  published  upon  the  subject 
of  espionage,  and  the  memoirs  and  secret  histories  of 
the  courts  of  Europe  give  us  instances  of  men  and 
women  who  have  gained  favor  and  money,  if  not 
honor  and  glory,  by  selling  back-stairs  gossip  concern- 
ing their  fellow  creatures;  but  the  aim  of  the  present 
work  has  been  rather  to  relate  the  big  exploits  of 
those  who  faced  great  personal  danger  and  risked 
their  lives  for  the  sake  of  flag  and  country. 

Each  story  is  complete  in  itself,  and  yet  forms  a 
link  in  the  chain  of  narratives  which  illustrates  the 
startling  and  unexpected  manner  in  which  battles  have 
been  lost  and  won  through  the  shrewdness  and  the 
courage  of  military  spies  at  various  times  in  different 
countries  of  the  world.  All  spies  are  not  admirable. 
Indeed,  some  whose  deeds  are  herein  related  seem 
despicable.  The  use  of  the  word  "  spy  "  in  this  series 
is  in  its  broadest,  and  usually  its  best,  sense.  In  all 
of  the  great  wars  of  history  there  have  been  spies, 
scouts,  emissaries  and  others  still  with  no  very  well 
defined  status,  who  have  rendered  invaluable  service 
to  their  governments.     A   spy   is  liable  to  death;   a 


viii  INTRODUCTION 

scout,  if  captured,  has  the  rights  of  a  prisoner  of  war, 
but  an  emissary  is  rather  poHtical  than  mihtary,  and  is 
sent  to  influence  secretly  the  opposition  rather  than  to 
bring  information  concerning  the  movements  of  troops. 

There  are  spies  and  spies.  Just  where  the  line  is  to 
be  drawn  must  depend  largely  upon  the  personal  view- 
point of  the  reader.  Some  of  those  who  have  been  en- 
gaged in  hazardous  military  exploits  are  looked  upon 
as  among  the  world's  greatest  heroes ;  others  who  have 
abused  the  hospitality  of  their  entertainers  in  order 
to  betray  them  have  earned  never-ending  obloquy. 
Everything  depends  upon  the  circumstances  and  the 
point  of  view.  Human  nature  has  been  the  same  in  all 
ages.  We  are  disposed  to  justify  and  glorify  the  mili- 
tary spy  who  risks  his  life  for  our  own  country  and  our 
own  cause,  and  to  condemn  and  abuse  the  one  who  is 
enlisted  in  the  service  of  the  enemy. 

Generally  speaking,  there  is  a  natural  repugnance  to 
the  professional  spy  in  times  of  war,  who  is  regarded 
as  akin  to  the  paid  informer  in  times  of  peace.  But 
the  tendency  is  to  applaud  the  real  soldier  who  is  will- 
ing to  depart  from  the  strict  lines  of  military  duty 
in  order  to  serve  his  country.  Napoleon,  who  can 
scarcely  be  called  a  scrupulous  man,  even  by  his  most 
ardent  admirers,  refused  to  bestow  the  medal  of  honor 
on  his  chief  spy.  "  Money,  as  much  as  you  like,"  he 
exclaimed,  "  but  the  cross  —  never!  " 

At  the  time  of  the  capture  of  Emilio  Aguinaldo  by 
the  late  Brigadier-General  Frederick  Funston  a  ques- 
tion arose  regarding  the  ethics  of  the  means  employed 
by  some  of  the  members  of  the  troops  under  his  com- 


INTRODUCTION  ix 

mand  on  that  occasion.  It  arose  in  a  lecture  before  the 
law  class  at  the  University  of  the  Philippines.  Justice 
Carson,  of  the  Supreme  Court,  was  asked  to  enlighten 
the  students  on  this  point.  Instead  of  doing  so,  he 
wrote  and  asked  General  Funston's  view  of  the  matter. 
The  reply  of  the  American  soldier  may  be  accepted  as 
the  authorized  military  view  of  the  question.  General 
Funston  wrote : 

"  In  a  nutshell,  the  legal  status  of  all  those  engaged 
in  the  expedition  referred  to  was  that  of  spies,  and  as 
such  they  could  not  have  claimed  immunity  from  the 
usual  fate  of  spies.  While  we  were  not  disguised  for 
the  purpose  of  obtaining  information,  the  fact  that  we 
penetrated  the  enemy's  lines  under  false  colors  would 
have  justified  treating  us  as  such. 

"  Having  acknowledged  that  our  status  was  that  of 
spies,  I  wish  to  call  attention  to  a  popular,  erroneous 
belief  that  spies  are  violators  of  the  laws  of  war  simply 
because  they  are  spies  and  in  disguise.  It  is  safe  to  say 
that  there  never  has  been  a  war  in  which  both  sides 
did  not  use  spies ;  in  fact,  the  principal  military  nations 
use  them  in  time  of  peace.  Spies  are  punished,  not  be- 
cause there  is  anything  morally  reprehensible  in  their 
work,  but  because  it  is  desired  to  make  their  occupa- 
tions so  dangerous  that  it  will  be  difficult  to  find  men 
to  undertake  the  risks  involved. 

"  The  status  of  the  spy  in  our  own  history  cannot 
better  be  shown  than  in  the  fact  that  Nathan  Hale,  the 
spy  of  our  own  Revolution,  whose  impressive  statue 
stands  in  New  York  and  whose  last  words  on  the  gal- 
lows were:     '  Aly  chief  regret  is  that  I  have  but  one 


X  INTRODUCTION 

life  to  give  for  my  country/  is  one  of  the  greatest  of 
our  national  heroes. 

"  Washington  has  been  regarded  always  as  one  of 
the  most  scrupulous  of  men,  but  he  did  not  hesitate  to 
hold  as  a  prisoner  the  British  general  Prescott,  cap- 
tured by  Colonel  Barton  of  the  Rhode  Island  militia 
and  a  few  men,  all  disguised  as  non-combatants,  who 
penetrated  the  British  lines  under  false  colors. 

"  Although  the  use  of  spies  is  not  a  violation  of 
the  laws  of  war,  there  are  certain  acts  that  are  recog- 
nized as  such  and  may  be  punished  by  death :  The 
violation  of  the  flag  of  truce ;  breaking  a  truce ;  viola- 
tion of  parole;  the  use  of  poison;  killing  of  prisoners 
of  war  to  prevent  their  recapture,  and  hoisting  the  hos- 
pital flag  over  a  place  not  a  hospital.  But  all  these 
imply  moral  obliquity,  and  I  have  never  heard  of  any 
one  being  rewarded  or  having  a  monument  erected  to 
him  for  having  been  guilty  of  any  one  of  them. 

"  The  Filipinos  are  about  the  last  people  in  the  world 
who  can  question  the  ethics  of  entering  the  enemy's 
lines  in  disguise.  As  a  veteran  of  the  w^ar  you  know 
that,  disguised  as  non-combatants,  their  officers  and 
soldiers  are  among  us  all  the  time,  and  that  if  we  had 
enforced  the  law  strictly  relative  to  spies  w'e  would 
have  been  hanging  men  all  the  time." 

The  halo  of  romance  hovers  in  a  special  manner  over 
women  spies,  and  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  the 
United  States  furnishes  the  most  conspicuous  exam- 
ples of  this  class  in  the  persons  of  Belle  Boyd,  the  Con- 
federate girl  who  saved  Stonewall  Jackson ;  and  Emma 
Edmonds,    the   Union   spy,    whose   adventures   could 


INTRODUCTION  xi 

scarcely  be  duplicated  in  the  pages  of  fiction.  The 
story  of  a  third  American  woman  is  related  in  this  vol- 
ume —  Lydia  Darrah,  the  gentle  and  brave  Quakeress 
who  saved  Washington's  army  from  destruction.  She 
was  not  a  spy  in  the  accepted  sense  of  the  word,  and 
it  would  be  impossible  to  imagine  a  greater  contrast 
than  is  presented  between  the  colonial  girl  and  the  two 
women  of  the  Civil  War,  but  the  service  she  rendered 
the  young  and  struggling  nation  cannot  be  overesti- 
mated. 

A  book  of  this  character  would  not  be  complete 
without  the  stories  of  Nathan  Hale  and  Major  Andre, 
the  American  and  the  Briton,  each  young  and  gallant, 
and  each  giving  up  his  life  for  his  country.  In  a  gen- 
eral way,  their  exploits  are  familiar,  yet  it  may  be 
found  that  a  new  light  has  been  turned  upon  certain 
phases  of  the  sacrifices  which  they  both  so  cheerfully 
made  for  the  causes  they  represented. 

An  effort  has  been  made  to  confine  this  work  to  the 
operations  of  military  spies,  but  in  possibly  two  in- 
stances the  rule  has  been  relaxed  in  order  to  present 
phases  of  that  form  of  diplomacy  which  is  so  closely 
allied  with  war  as  to  be  part  of  it.  ]\Iost  of  the  inci- 
dents are  interwoven  with  the  history  of  the  countries 
to  which  they  relate,  and  are  part  of  the  archives  of  the 
State,  War  and  Navy  Departments  of  these  nations. 
Taken  all  in  all.  the  pages  of  fiction  contain  few  things 
more  fascinating  or  thrilling  than  these  fact  stories. 

G.B. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

^  I  The  Alsatian  Smuggler  who  helped 
Napoleon  to  capture  the  Austrian 
Army 3 

II     Belle  Boyd,  the  Confederate  Girl  who 

saved  Stonewall  Jackson    .      .      .      .21 

III  The  Indian  Scout  who  was  the  Hero 

OF  King  Philip's  War 35 

IV  How   the   Suicide  of  a   Staff   Officer 

Once  Averted  War  between  Austria 
AND  Russia 51 

V    The  Romantic  Side  of  Major  Andre's 

Unsuccessful  Exploit 6j^ 

VI     The  Strange  Adventures  of  the  Cheva- 
lier D'EoN  AT  THE  Russian  Court     .     79 

VII     How  Napoleon's  Chief  Spy  Hoodwinked 

THE  Emperor  of  Austria     .      .      •      •     95 

VIII      LyDIA      DaRRAH,     THE     BRAVE     QUAKERESS 

WHO  SAVED  Washington's  army  from 
Destruction 11 1' 

IX     Doctor  Steiber  and  the  Mystery  of  the 

Franco-Prussian  War 129 

X     The  Adventure  of  Private  Morgan  in 

THE  camp  of  Cornwallis     ....    145"^ 

XI     The  Mysterious  and  Romantic  Case  of 

General  Napper  Tandy 159 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XII  How  Monsieur  de  Meinau  helped  to 
MAKE  Jerome  Bonaparte  King  of 
Westphalia i75 

.^      XIII     The  Strange  Mystery  Surrounding  the 

Betrayal  of  Captain  Nathan  Hale  .    189" 

XIV  Major  Le  Caron  and  the  Fenian  In- 
vasion OF  Canada 205 

»'*^     XV     How    Emma    Edmonds    Penetrated   the 

Confederate  Lines 223 

XVI  The  Amazing  Adventure  of  Brigadier- 
General  Lafayette  C.  Baker  .      .      .   243 

XVII     The  Mysterious  "  F  "  and  the  Captured 

Troopers 273 

XVIII     The  Mysterious  Man  who  asked  for  a 

Light 293 

XIX     Carl   Lody   and   Spies  of  the   World's 

Greatest  War 309 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

P.JGE 

The  Capture  of  Major  Andre.  (See  page  67)  Frontispiece 
Napoleon  Bonaparte  .....         6 

Belle  Boyd 22 

King  Philip,  or  Metacomet  ....  44 
The    Meeting    Between    Benedict    Arnold    and 

Major  Andre        ......       66 

The  Chevalier  D'Eon 83 

Lydia  Darrah  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Craig  .  118 
Prince  von  Bismarck  .  .  .  •  -135 
General  Lafayette  .  .  .  .  •  .148 
General  Napper  Tandy  .  .  .  .  .170 
Captain  Nathan  Hale  .  .  .  •  .200 
Major  Le  Caron  (Thomas  Beach)  .  .  .206 
Brigadier-General  Lafayette  C.  Baker  .  .  243 
Major-General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart  .         .         .         .285 

John  E.  Wilkie 294 

William  J.  Flynn       ..♦..■     3^7 


THE  ALSATIAN   SMUGGLER  WHO  HELPED 

NAPOLEON  TO  CAPTURE  THE 

AUSTRL\N  ARMY 


The  World's  Greatest  Military 
Spies  and  Secret  Service  Agents 


THE  ALSATIAN  SMUGGLER  WHO  HELPED 

NAPOLEON  TO  CAPTURE  THE 

AUSTRIAN  ARMY 

THIS  is  the  story  of  a  thrilling  episode  in  the 
life  of  a  man  who  has  been  called  the  Prince 
of  Spies.  His  name  was  Charles  Louis  Schul- 
meister  and  he  played  a  most  invaluable  part  in  build- 
ing the  fame  of  no  less  a  person  than  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte. What  the  greatest  military  genius  of  his  time 
might  have  accomplished  without  the  aid  of  his  won- 
derfully effective  secret  service  system  must  be  left  to 
the  imagination.  What  he  actually  did  with  the  as- 
sistance of  Charles  Louis  Schulmeister  and  his  asso- 
ciates is  one  of  the  most  fascinating  parts  of  the  secret 
archives  of  France  and  Austria. 

First  a  word  concerning  the  life  and  personality  of 
this  famous  military  spy.  He  was  a  native  of  an 
Alsatian  village  —  New  Freistell  in  the  Grand  Duchy 
of  Baden,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Rhine.  He  was 
an  adventurous  boy  and  his  early  life  was  filled  with 
hair-raising  escapades.     It  was  the  most  natural  thing 

3 


4      THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

in  the  world  for  such  a  youth  to  develop  into  a  smug- 
gler and  for  years  he  followed  that  calling  to  the  dis- 
may of  the  authorities  and  to  the  advantage  of  his 
personal  fortunes. 

Schulmeister  was  of  medium  build,  brusque  in  his 
manner  and  movements,  smooth-faced  and  with  two 
ugly  scars  on  his  forehead,  the  result  of  bravery  in 
battle.  He  had  blue  eyes,  clear,  penetrating  and  un- 
wavering. He  was  quick  to  think  and  prompt  to 
execute;  shrewd,  smart  and  full  of  courage  and  reso- 
lution. Also,  Schulmeister  was  absolutely  devoid  of 
the  sense  of  fear. 

In  1805  Napoleon  was  at  Strassburg  planning  his 
wonderful  Austrian  campaign.  His  camp  at  Bou- 
logne was  marvelous  and  its  size  calculated  to  strike 
terror  into  the  heart  of  the  enemy.  But  the  Corsican 
did  not  propose  to  move  until  he  was  fully  informed 
of  the  extent  and  character  of  the  forces  he  would  be 
called  upon  to  meet.  He  wanted  a  shrewd  and  tried 
man  in  the  camp  of  the  enemy.  In  this  emergency  he 
sent  for  General  Savery,  the  head  of  the  French 
Secret  Service,  and  informed  him  of  his  desire.  The 
officer  saluted. 

"  Sire,  I  have  the  very  man  you  need  for  this 
mission." 

Savery,  who  was  not  particularly  noted  for  his 
scrupulousness,  had  a  score  of  fearless  men  at  his  beck 
and  call,  and  not  the  least  of  them  was  Charles  Louis 
Schulmeister.  The  Alsatian  smuggler  had  been  on 
Savery's  staff  for  years,  and  had  performed  delicate 
missions  with  great  success.     The  moment  Napoleon 


THE  ALSATIAN  SMUGGLER         5 

spoke  Savery  decided  to  employ  Schulmeister  for  this 
latest  dangerous  mission.  lie  had  the  young  Alsatian 
brought  to  him  and  informed  him  of  the  Emperor's 
wishes. 

"  The  Emperor  wishes  to  see  you  personally  and  at 
once,"  he  said. 

Schulmeister  was  skeptical.  He  rubbed  his  brawny 
hand  across  the  scars  on  his  forehead : 

"  You  are  having  sport  with  me." 

"  Not  at  all,"  was  the  vehement  rejoinder.  "  The 
Emperor  wishes  to  see  you  on  a  matter  of  great  im- 
portance.    Be  prepared  to  meet  him  at  any  moment." 

The  Alsatian  sat  down  and  awaited  the  summons, 
but  not  without  some  trepidation.  He  recalled  the 
lawless  career  he  had  pursued,  prior  to  his  military 
service,  and  he  wondered  if  he  was  called  to  give  an 
account  of  his  misdeeds.  Yet  the  Great  Man  of 
Destiny  w-ould  scarcely  waste  his  time  on  such  sec- 
ondary and  trivial  matters.  Possibly  he  had  been 
misrepresented  to  the  Emperor.  In  that  event  he 
would  truly  have  reason  to  shake  in  his  boots,  for 
Napoleon  made  short  shrift  of  those  w^hose  loyalty  was 
not  absolutely  unquestioned. 

But  with  that  phase  of  the  business  Schulmeister 
straightened  out  his  shoulders  and  was  filled  with  reso- 
lution. He  knew  that  he  had  been  faithful  to  Napo- 
leon and  France;  whatever  other  defects  there  might 
be  in  his  character  —  and  they  were  many  and  serious 
—  disloyalty  was  not  one  of  them.  As  to  meeting. the 
great  man  —  pshaw!  that  was  but  part  of  the  day's 
work. 


6      THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

"  Schulmeister,  come  forward !  " 

This  command  from  an  officer  awakened  the  young 
Alsatian  from  his  day  dreams.  He  was  being  con- 
ducted to  the  presence  of  the  man  whose  name  was 
already  reverberating  around  the  world.  He  followed 
closely  on  the  heels  of  the  messenger,  wondering  why 
he  had  been  summoned  and  how  he  should  act. 
Before  he  could  map  out  any  coherent  line  of  conduct 
he  realized  that  he  was  in  the  headquarters  of  the 
Emperor. 

Schulmeister  looked  about  him  quickly  and  for  the 
moment  was  confused.  The  place  was  filled  with  staff 
officers  wearing  glittering  uniforms  and  talking  in  low 
but  animated  tones.  Which  of  these  could  be  the 
Emperor?  He  looked  for  the  most  impressive  uni- 
form but  was  not  enlightened.  Presently  his  glance 
fell  upon  a  man  short  in  stature,  but  well  formed  and 
resolute  in  his  manner.  He  was  apart  from  the  others 
and  restlessly  paced  up  and  down  the  narrow  limits  of 
the  apartment.  He  wore  a  long  gray  coat  over  a  plain 
uniform.  He  turned  around  unexpectedly  and  moved 
out  of  the  mass  of  gorgeously  uniformed  men.  The 
Alsatian  recognized  him  at  once. 

It  was  Napoleon. 

At  first  the  Emperor's  smooth  face,  firmly  set  jaw 
and  rigid  mouth  seemed  to  portend  a  storm.  But  as 
his  eyes  rested  on  the  young  man  he  smiled  charmingly 
and  engagingly.  The  glance  that  he  shot  at  his  visitor 
was  at  once  ardent  and  penetrating.  He  placed  his 
hand  on  Schulmeister's  shoulder. 

"  You  are  an  Alsatian  ?  " 


NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE 


THE  ALSATIAN  SMUGGLER         7 

"  Yes,  sire." 

"  You  look  like  a  brave  man  —  a  man  who  will  risk 
his  life  for  France." 

"  Willingly,"  was  the  quick  response. 

After  that  the  ^lan  of  Destiny  and  the  former 
smuggler  sat  down  and  planned  the  scheme  by  which 
the  Emperor  was  to  gain  the  information  he  desired 
concerning  the  position,  the  extent  and  the  prospective 
movements  of  the  enemy.  Schulmeister,  while  not 
particularly  educated,  was  exceptionally  quick  witted. 
It  has  been  said  that  he  was  as  "  sharp  as  a  steel  trap  " 
and  that  is  the  impression  he  made  on  the  Emperor, 
for  Napoleon  afterwards  spoke  glowingly  of  the  spy 
to  General  Savery.  his  aide-de-camp. 

The  result  of  the  campaign  that  had  been  planned 
was  to  have  a  marked  effect  upon  the  future  of  the 
"  Little  Corporal,"  as  the  idolizing  soldiers  insisted 
upon  calling  their  chief.  The  Emperor  accompanied 
the  spy  to  the  door  of  his  headquarters,  and  as  he  left 
called  after  him : 

"  Don't  fail  me  !  " 

Schulmeister  hastened  away  and  the  thing  that  he 
remembered  most  of  all  was  the  figure  of  the  little  man 
in  the  long  gray  coat,  waving  his  short  arm  and  calling 
out  that  message  of  warning  and  of  confidence.  Who 
shall  say  that  this  day  was  not  to  mark  the  beginning 
of  the  founding  of  the  great  Napoleonic  empire? 

Time  is  everything! 

Napoleon  had  said  this  often  and  his  faithful  serv- 
itor learned  it  by  heart.  He  had  a  brief  interview 
with  General  Savery,  and  the  next  moment  started  on 


8      THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

his  mission.  The  expected  happened  —  the  thing  he 
wished  to  happen  —  the  incident  that  was  necessary  in 
order  to  set  the  Httle  drama  in  motion. 

He  was  arrested  by  the  French  police  on  the  charge 
of  espionage  and  hustled  by  them  to  the  frontier.  It  is 
impossible,  if  not  indiscreet,  to  admit  too  many  persons 
into  one's  confidence.  The  officers  who  had  made  the 
arrest  were  ardent  Frenchmen  as  well  as  faithful 
policemen,  and  they  did  not  treat  the  young  Alsatian 
any  too  tenderly.  In  fact,  he  received  more  cuffs  and 
kicks  than  he  liked.  But  he  took  them  all  unresistingly 
and  even  smiled  when  he  was  given  a  final  push  and 
sent  headlong  into  the  camp  of  the  Austrians. 

They  received  him  with  open  arms,  and  wdien  he 
told  them  a  cock-and-bull  story  of  his  adventures  in 
the  French  camp,  nothing  would  do  but  that  he  must 
enter  the  Secret  Service  of  the  Austrian  Army.  Such 
a  valuable  man  was  not  to  be  lost. 

The  news  of  this  was  taken  to  the  short  man  in  the 
long  gray  coat,  and  as  he  paced  up  and  down  amidst  his 
brilliantly  uniformed  officers  he  was  heard  to  give  vent 
to  a  chuckle  —  the  sort  of  a  chuckle  one  expects  from  a 
man  whose  plans  are  working  precisely  as  he  wished. 

In  the  meantime  Schulmeister  settled  down  to  busi- 
ness in  earnest.  He  gained  the  acquaintance  and  then 
the  friendship  of  two  very  important  men.  One  was 
Captain  Wend  of  the  Austrian  Secret  Service,  and  the 
other  Lieutenant  Bendel,  aide-de-camp  to  General 
Kienmayer.  In  this,  as  in  all  else,  he  had  followed  the 
advice  of  his  Corsican  superior.  With  him,  as  with 
the  greater  man,  time  was  "  everything." 


THE  ALSATIAN  SMUGGLER         9 

A  less  audacious  man  would  have  hesitated  about 
approaching  such  officers  as  Wend  and  Bendel ;  a  less 
courageous  man  would  have  feared  it,  and  a  less  imag- 
inative man  would  never  have  thought  of  it.  But 
Schulmeister  had  audacity,  courage  and  imagination. 
He  unbosomed  himself  to  these  two  men,  he  pointed 
out  the  possibilities  of  the  future  and  he  painted 
the  glories  and  the  rewards  of  the  Napoleonic  em- 
pire. 

In  less  than  twenty- four  hours  Captain  Wend  and 
Lieutenant  Bendel  had  become  his  allies,  and  there- 
after worked  with  him  hand  and  glove. 

The  next  necessary  move  was  to  obtain  the  confi- 
dence of  the  higher  Austrian  officers  and  to  find  out 
their  plans.  He  was  able  to  do  this  with  the  assist- 
ance of  Captain  Wend  and  Lieutenant  Bendel. 

The  Allies  had  a  great  body  of  soldiers  in  the  field. 
The  chief  figure  was  Field  Marshal  Baron  Mack,  who 
had  90,000  splendidly  equipped  and  well  trained  men 
under  his  command.  His  army  formed  the  right  wing 
of  an  enormous  host,  of  which  Archduke  Charles  with 
140,000  men  in  northern  Italy  and  Archduke  John 
with  50,000  more  in  the  passes  of  the  Tyrol  were  im- 
portant adjuncts. 

General  Mack  was  impressed  with  the  great  strength 
of  his  troops  and  felt  that  he  could  easily  overcome 
Napoleon  with  the  superiority  of  his  numbers.  Schul- 
meister learned  of  this  over-confidence  and  w^as  all  the 
more  anxious  to  reach  the  big  man.  Captain  Wend 
undertook  to  present  the  Alsatian  to  Mack.  It  proved 
to  be  easy.     The  Austrian  commander  was  not  anx- 


10    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

ious  to  move  unless  it  was  necessary,  and  when  he 
learned  that  there  was  a  man  in  the  vicinity  who  had 
been  in  the  camp  of  Napoleon  he  was  eager  to  meet 
him. 

Schulmeister  was  bidden  to  come  into  his  presence 
and  told  to  describe  all  that  he  had  seen  in  the  camp  of 
the  "  enemy."  He  did  so  with  a  vividness  of  imag- 
ination that  would  haA-e  done  credit  to  Baron  Mun- 
chausen. 

For  nearly  an  hour  the  medium-sized  man  with  the 
ugly  scars  and  the  sky-blue  eyes  sat  there  and  poured 
fiction  into  the  ears  of  the  great  general  —  the  man 
decorated  with  many  medals  and  filled  with  a  sense  of 
his  own  importance.  And  Mack  believed  it  all.  At 
the  conclusion  the  Austrian  turned  to  one  of  his  sub- 
ordinates. 

"  You  see ;  it  is  as  I  suspected.  We  must  not  move 
from  this  place.     We  must  watch  and  wait." 

So,  on  the  strength  of  the  information  —  the  false 
information  —  supplied  by  the  Alsatian  smuggler,  the 
great  army  dawdled  away  its  time  in  idleness.  That 
is  to  say,  it  was  really  idle  while  making  a  pretense  of 
activity.  General  Mack  moved  his  troops  about  aim- 
lessly in  order  to  fool  the  enemy.  That  was  his  notion 
of  military  strategy.  But  alas!  for  his  expectations, 
he  was  dealing  with  the  master  military  strategist  of 
his  time  —  if  not  of  all  times. 

Having  deluded  the  Austrian  commander  and 
obtained  accurate  data  concerning  his  plans,  Schul- 
meister now  made  it  his  business  to  convey  the  infor- 
mation to  Napoleon.     He  was  readily  given  leave  to  go 


THE  ALSATIAN  SMUGGLER       11 

to  the  French  camp,  with  instructions  to  get  all  the 
facts  possible  as  to  its  future  movements. 

He  was  in  an  enviable  position.  He  had  the  pass- 
words of  both  armies  and  he  made  his  w-ay  to  the  quar- 
ters of  the  Emperor  without  any  difficulty.  As  before, 
he  found  the  silent,  mysterious  figure  in  the  long  gray 
coat,  in  the  midst  of  his  brilliantly  attired  staff. 
Schulmeister  almost  ran  into  the  presence  of  the  "  Lit- 
tle Corporal." 

"  Sire,"  he  said,  "  I  have  important  news  from  the 
front." 

Napoleon  dismissed  his  officers,  and  sat  down  to 
listen  to  the  report  of  the  spy.  His  penetrating  eyes 
seemed  to  pierce  the  soul  of  Schulmeister,  but  the 
Alsatian  bore  the  scrutiny  without  flinching.  The 
Emperor  was  satisfied.  His  determined  look  gave 
way  to  one  of  his  charming  smiles. 

"  Proceed,"  said  he. 

Briefly,  but  without  omitting  any  essential  detail, 
Schulmeister  told  the  story  of  his  adventures  from  the 
time  he  had  left  the  French  camp  until  his  return.  At 
intervals  there  was  a  quiet  chuckle  from  the  great  sol- 
dier. After  he  had  concluded  Napoleon  propounded 
a  number  of  questions,  all  of  which  the  spy  was  able  to 
answer  clearly  and  satisfactorily.  Then  the  short 
man  in  the  long  coat  arose  and  paced  up  and  down  for 
some  moments  in  silence.  Presently  he  placed  his 
hand  on  Schulmeister's  shoulder  and  said : 

"  You  have  done  your  work  well ;  return  and  keep 
me  posted  on  future  developments." 

So  Schulmeister  made  his  w-av  back  to  the  Austrian 


12     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

lines,  while  the  Corsican  proceeded  with  his  plans  for 
enveloping  the  enemy.  Mack  was  "  bottled  up  "  but 
not  quite  effectively.  Time  was  needed  to  complete 
the  job  and  it  was  the  Alsatian  spy  who  was  to  make 
that  time  possible.  He  hastened  to  the  Austrian  com- 
mander. On  this  occasion  he  had  no  need  of  a  go- 
between.  He  had  now  the  confidence  of  Mack  and 
the  orders  were  that  he  should  be  permitted  to  go 
and  come  as  he  pleased.  The  Baron  was  delighted 
at  the  return  of  "his  spy,"  as  he  called  him. 
Schulmeister  told  of  his  visit  to  the  French  camp 
and  gave  what  purported  to  be  a  resume  of  Napoleon's 
plans. 

The  audacity  of  the  man  may  be  judged  when  it  is 
known  that  he  gave  considerable  accurate  informa- 
tion. This  was  susceptible  of  confirmation,  and  the 
fact  that  it  was  confirmed  by  some  of  Mack's  subordi- 
nates only  served  to  raise  Schulmeister  in  the  estimation 
of  the  Austrian.  And  all  the  while  Napoleon  was 
marshaling  his  forces  in  such  a  way  that  the  escape 
of  the  enemy  seemed  impossible. 

Presently  it  began  to  dawn  on  General  Mack  that 
something  was  wrong.  Disquieting  reports  came 
from  the  outer  defenses.  The  Austrian  became  gen- 
uinely disturbed.  He  sent  for  Schulmeister  and  ques- 
tioned him  regarding  the  previous  "  information  "  he 
had  brought  him,  but  the  Alsatian  went  through  the 
ordeal  with  flying  colors.  Indeed,  he  gave  him  one  or 
two  additional  facts  which  were  so  transparently  cor- 
rect that  it  placed  the  spy  above  suspicion. 

On  the  seventh  of  October  the  campaign  of  strat- 


THE  ALSATIAN  SMUGGLER       13 

egy  on  both  sides  came  to  a  close.  With  Napoleon 
it  had  been  a  series  of  restless  moves.  With  Mack 
it  had  been  a  period  of  marking  time,  of  doing 
nothing. 

Too  late  he  realized  his  mistake.  He  hurried  to  the 
north  and  found  that  the  French  troops  were  lined  up 
there  in  a  solid  phalanx ;  he  turned  to  the  south  and 
discovered  that  his  retreat  was  cut, off  there.  The  east 
and  the  west  were  in  the  same  condition.  The  worst 
part  of  it  was  that  these  various  lines  were  slowly  but 
surely  closing  in  on  him.  He  could  see  now  that  the 
Corsican  commander  had  been  engaged  in  a  vast  envel- 
oping campaign. 

In  a  word,  the  great  Napoleon  had  the  Austrian 
army  in  a  grip  of  steel ! 

Mack  presented  a  pitiable  sight,  sitting  there  with 
his  head  between  his  hands,  humiliated  and  remorse- 
ful —  the  victim  of  his  own  inactivity  and  his  too  con- 
fiding nature.  The  members  of  his  staff  gazed  on  the 
spectacle  silently  and  not  entirely  with  pity.  From  a 
distance  Charles  Louis  Schulmeister  also  beheld  the 
defeated  Austrian  chief.  He  felt,  like  the  others,  that 
it  was  all  over  but  the  shouting.  The  spy  kept  dis- 
creetly away  from  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  gen- 
eral and  his  staff.  He  knew  very  well  that  if  his 
duplicity  were  discovered  that  he  would,  even  then,  be 
shot  down  like  a  dog.  So  he  patiently  awaited  the 
arrival  of  the  French  troops. 

But  unexpectedly  the  situation  seemed  to  change. 
Tt  is  an  axiom  of  war  that  no  chain  is  stronger  than 
its    weakest    link.     Napoleon    had    completely    sur- 


14     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

rounded  the  Austrians  and  their  ahies,  but  there  was 
one  section  where  the  French  Hne  was  very  thin  — 
too  thin  indeed  for  French  comfort.  And  while  Mack 
was  moping  over  his  hard  fate  some  of  his  more  ener- 
getic officers  had  been  making  a  closer  investigation  of 
the  situation. 

The  sound  of  a  horse's  hoofs  was  heard  and  an 

aide-de-camp    galloped    into    the    presence    of    ]Mack. 

The  officer  alighted  and  saluted  his  chief. 

"  General,"  he  cried,  ''there  is  a  weak  link  in  the 

French  lines  about  two  miles  to  the  south,  and  with  a 

sufficient  force  we  may  be  able  to  break  through." 

This  w^as  as  balm  to  the  sorely  afflicted  pride  of  the 
Austrian.  He  rose  to  the  situation.  Officers  were 
sent  hither  and  thither  and  the  soldiers  massed  for  an 
attack  upon  the  point  in  question. 

Napoleon's  spy  looked  upon  these  preparations  with 
a  sinking  heart.  If  they  were  carried  out  all  of  his 
work  might  go  for  naught.  What  seemed  like  a  glo- 
rious French  victory  might  be  turned  into  simply  a 
drawn  battle. 

He  had  to  think  and  think  quickly ! 
As  usual,  he  was  equal  to  the  occasion.  Captain 
Wend,  of  the  Austrian  Secret  Service,  and  Lieutenant 
Bendel  were  near  him  ready  to  share  in  the  downfall 
of  the  Austrian  arms.  They,  too,  realized  that  the 
situation  now  hung  upon  a  thread.  They  were  com- 
pletely in  Schulmeister's  power,  and  w^ere  ready  to  do 
anything  he  might  command.  He  prepared  a  false 
message  purporting  to  be  signed  by  one  of  the  officers 
of  the  outlying  regiments.     It  said,  in  substance : 


THE  ALSATIAN  SINIUGGLER       15 

A  revolution  has  broken  out  among  the  people  of 
Paris.  Riots  are  going  on  in  the  streets.  Napoleon 
is  hurrying  home  and  the  retreat  of  the  French  troops 
is  but  a  question  of  time. 

This  was  conveyed  to  Mack  by  Captain  Wend.  It 
filled  the  Austrian  commander  with  amazement.  It 
was  so  unexpected  and  so  surprising.  His  mind 
worked  slowly  at  best,  and  this  intelligence  seemed  to 
impair  his  thinking  faculties  still  further.  Schul- 
meister  was  too  shrewd  to  permit  his  enterprise  to  rest 
on  a  single  warning.  He  sent  a  second  message  by 
another  officer  and  finally  he  personally  appeared  be- 
fore the  Austrian  commander  and  told  him  things  that 
appeared  like  confirmation  as  strong  as  Holy  Writ. 
Mack  was  flooded  with  false  messages. 

As  a  consequence  of  this  he  called  back  his  troops 
and  calmly  sat  down  to  await  the  retreat  of  the  enemy. 
That  this  inaction  was  largely  due  to  his  own  indolence 
cannot  be  doubted.  But  that  it  was  chiefly  prompted 
by  the  cunning  of  the  Alsatian  spy  is  a  matter  of 
history. 

Before  the  sun  went  down  that  day  the  weak  link  in 
the  French  lines  had  been  strengthened  effectively. 
Napoleon  had  his  troops  under  perfect  control  and  the 
ring  of  steel  began  to  draw  in  closer  and  closer. 
Mack,  in  his  fancied  security,  waited  for  the  retreat  of 
the  enemy.  Day  by  day  Napoleon  became  more  irre- 
sistible, while  the  Austrian  grew  weaker. 

Finally  he  awoke  to  discover  that  he  had  made  a 
second  mistake,  and  a  greater  one  than  the  first.     The 


16    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

Ulm  campaign  came  to  a  sudden  termination  on  the 
1 8th  of  October,  when  Mack  capitulated  and  surren- 
dered his  entire  force. 

This  campaign  has  few  parallels  in  history.  Not  a 
shot  had  been  fired  and  many  of  the  Austrians  had  not 
even  seen  a  French  soldier ! 

While  the  world  was  ringing  with  the  news  of  this 
remarkable  close  to  a  remarkable  campaign,  General 
Savery,  who  is  also  known  to  history  as  the  Duke  de 
Rongo,  accompanied  Charles  Louis  Schulmeister  on  a 
visit  to  the  Emperor  Napoleon.  The  great  soldier 
congratulated  the  Alsatian  smuggler  and  loaded  him 
down  with  financial  favors.  Schulmeister's  fortune 
was  made  —  from  a  worldly  standpoint. 

He  was  given  leave  of  absence,  with  the  understand- 
ing that  he  must  remain  subject  to  the  Emperor's'  call. 
He  had  the  right  to  go  anywhere  he  chose  and  he 
chose  to  go  to  his  home  in  the  Alsatian  village  of  New 
Freistell.  The  wife  of  his  youth  awaited  him  eagerly. 
This  curious  man,  who  knew  neither  fear  nor  pity,  had 
one  unexpected  characteristic.  He  was  passionately 
fond  of  children.  Although  married  several  years 
there  was  no  prospect  of  little  ones. 

Schulmeister  was  not  a  man  to  be  thwarted  in  his 
desires.  He  went  out  into  the  village,  found  two 
orphaned  and  homeless  children  and  adopted  them  as 
his  own.  Visitors  to  the  little  place  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Rhine  tell  of  seeing  the  world-famous  spy  frol- 
icking on  the  lawn  of  his  home  with  these  children. 
For  the  time  being  the  man  who  had  affected  the  des- 


THE  ALSATIAN  SMUGGLER       17 

tinies  of  armies  was  subject  to  the  whims  and  the 
caprices  of  two  little  ones.  He  obeyed  their  slightest 
commands  as  implicitly  as  he  had  the  orders  of  Napo- 
leon Bonaparte. 

Queer  sight  in  this  queerest  of  all  possible  worlds ! 


II 


BELLE  BOYD,  THE  CONFEDERATE  GIRL 
WHO  SAVED  STONEWALL  JACKSON 


II 

BELLE  BOYD.  THE  CONFEDERATE  GIRL 
WHO  SAVED  STONEWALL  JACKSON 

TIL\T  brilliant  writer,  Gilbert  Chesterton,  in  one 
of  his  paradoxical  essays  said  that  a  fact,  if 
looked  at  fiercely,  may  become  an  adventure. 
It  is  certain  that  the  most  important  facts  in  the 
life  of  Belle  Boyd,  the  Confederate  spy,  constitute 
some  of  the  most  thrilling  adventures  in  the  great  con- 
flict between  the  sections  —  the  Civil  War  in  the 
United  States. 

She  was  only  a  girl  when  the  flag  was  fired  on  at 
Sumter  and  her  father  and  all  the  members  of  her  fam- 
ily immediately  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  army. 
When  the  Union  troops  took  possession  of  ^^lartins- 
burg,  Belle  Boyd  found  herself  unwillingly  inside  the 
Federal  lines.  She  had  no  formal  commission  from 
any  of  the  Southern  officers,  but  circumstances  and  her 
ardent  nature  made  her  an  intense  partisan  of  what  was 
to  be  "  The  Lost  Cause." 

During  the  occupation  of  Martinsburg,  she  shot  a 
Union  soldier,  who,  she  claimed,  had  insulted  a  South- 
em  woman.  From  that  moment  until  the  close  of  the 
war  she  w^as  actively  engaged  either  as  a  spy,  a  scout 
or  an  emissary  of  the  Confederacy.  On  more  than 
one  occasion  she  attracted  the  attention  of  Secretary 

21 


22    THE  AYORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

of  War  Stanton,  and  although  she  served  a  term  in  a 
military  prison,  she  seems  to  have  been  treated  with 
unusual  leniency.  After  the  war  she  escaped  to  Eng- 
land, where  she  published  her  autobiography,  bitterly 
assailing  the  victorious  North. 

It  was  in  Martinsburg  that  Belle  Boyd  first  began 
her  work  for  the  Confederacy.  The  Union  officers 
sometimes  left  their  swords  and  pistols  about  the 
houses  which  they  occupied,  and  later  were  surprised 
and  mystified  at  the  strange  disappearance  of  the 
weapons.  They  little  thought  that  this  mere  slip  of  a 
girl  was  the  culprit.  Still  later  they  were  amazed  to 
find  that  these  same  swords  and  pistols  had  found  their 
way  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  and  were  being  used 
against  them. 

But  aside  from  this  Belle  Boyd  made  it  her  business 
to  pick  up  all  the  information  that  was  possible  con- 
cerning the  movements  and  the  plans  of  the  Union 
forces.  Every  scrap  of  news  she  obtained  was 
promptly  conveyed  to  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart  and 
other  Confederate  officers. 

It  was  about  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Bull  Run  that 
the  Confederate  general  in  command  fixed  upon  Front 
Royal  as  a  site  for  a  military  hospital.  Belle  Boyd 
was  one  of  the  nurses  and  many  a  fevered  brow  felt 
the  touch  of  her  cool  hand  and  more  than  one  stricken 
soldier  afterwards  testified  to  the  loving  care  he  re- 
ceived from  this  remarkable  woman. 

Later,  Front  Royal  became  the  prize  of  the  Union 
army,  and  Belle  Boyd  naturally  fell  under  suspicion. 
Some  remarks  of  her  activities  had  already  reached  the 


BELLE  ROVD 


BELLE  BOYD  23 

front,  and  the  officers  kept  her  under  close  scrutiny. 
Fortunately,  as  she  thought,  she  had  been  provided 
with  a  pass  which  would  permit  her  to  leave  the  place. 
Accordingly,  the  second  day  after  the  arrival  of  the 
Unionists  she  packed  her  grip  and  prepared  to  leave 
the  town.  As  she  came  from  the  house  she  was  halted 
by  a  Union  officer  named  Captain  Bannon. 

"Is  this  Miss  Belle  Boyd?" 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  I  am  the  Assistant  Provost  Marshal,  and 
I  regret  to  say  that  orders  have  been  issued  for 
your  detention.  It  is  my  duty  to  inform  you  that 
you  cannot  proceed  until  your  case  has  been  investi- 
gated." 

This  did  not  suit  the  young  woman  at  all.  She 
opened  her  pocketbook  and  produced  a  bit  of  paste- 
board. 

"  I  have  here  a  pass  from  General  Shields.  Surely 
that  should  be  sufficient  to  permit  me  to  leave  the 
city." 

The  young  officer  was  perplexed.  He  did  not  care 
to  repudiate  a  pass  issued  by  General  Shields,  and  at 
the  same  time  did  not  wish  to  disobey  the  instructions 
which  he  had  received  from  his  immediate  chief. 

"  I  hardly  know  what  to  do,"  he  said.  "  However, 
I  am  going  to  Baltimore  with  a  squad  of  men  in  the 
morning.  I  will  take  you  with  me  and  when  we  get 
there  turn  you  over  to  General  Dix." 

This  program  was  carried  out  and  the  Confederate 
spy  was  given  a  free  trip  to  the  monumental  city, 
which  she  did  not  want.     She  was  compelled  to  remain 


24    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

in  Baltimore  for  some  time,  being  kept  constantly 
under  the  closest  supervision.  Finally,  however,  Gen- 
eral Dix  gave  her  permission  to  return  to  her  home. 
There  was  no  direct  evidence  against  her  and  it  was 
considered  a  waste  of  time  and  energ}^  to  keep  her 
under  guard.  She  was  escorted  to  the  boundaries  of 
her  old  home  by  two  Union  soldiers.  It  was  twilight 
when  she  arrived  at  the  Shenandoah  River.  The 
effects  of  the  war  were  to  be  seen  on  every  side.  The 
bridges  had  been  destroyed,  and  they  only  managed  to 
cross  the  river  by  means  of  a  temporary  ferry  boat  that 
had  been  pressed  into  service. 

When  she  reached  her  home  she  found  that  it  had 
been  appropriated  as  a  headquarters  by  General  Shields 
and  the  members  of  his  staff.  He  treated  her  cour- 
teously and  said  that  no  harm  would  befall  her  if  she 
was  discreet  and  attended  to  her  own  business.  She 
was  told  that  a  small  house  adjoining  the  family  dwell- 
ing had  been  set  aside  for  her  use,  and  that  the  sol- 
diers would  be  given  orders  not  to  molest  her  in  any 
way. 

But  the  young  daughter  of  the  Confederacy  kept  her 
eyes  and  ears  open  and  the  night  before  the  departure 
of  General  Shields,  who  was  to  give  battle  to  General 
Jackson,  she  learned  that  a  council  of  war  was  to  be 
held  in  the  drawing-room  of  the  Boyd  home.  Just 
over  this  apartment  was  a  bedroom  containing  a  large 
closet.  On  the  night  of  the  council  she  managed  to 
make  her  way  to  this  room  and  slipped  into  the  closet. 
A  hole  had  been  bored  through  the  floor,  whether  by 
design  or  otherwise  she  was  unable  to  tell.     However, 


BELLE  BOYD  25 

she  immediately  determined  to  take  advantage  of  what 
she  considered  a  providential  situation. 

When  the  council  assembled  the  girl  got  down  on 
her  hands  and  knees  in  the  bottom  of  the  closet  and 
placed  her  ear  near  the  hole  in  the  floor.  To  her  great 
satisfaction  she  found  that  she  could  distinctly  hear 
all  of  the  conversation.  The  conference  between  the 
Union  officers  lasted  for  hours,  but  she  remained  mo- 
tionless and  silent  until  it  had  been  concluded.  When 
the  scraping  movement  of  the  chairs  on  the  floor  below 
was  heard  she  knew  that  everything  was  over  so  came 
out  of  her  place  of  concealment.  She  was  tired  and 
her  limbs  were  so  stifT  from  remaining  in  that  cramped 
position  so  long  that  it  was  all  she  could  do  to  move. 
But  she  was  full  of  grit  and  determination  and  as  soon 
as  the  coast  was  clear  she  hurried  across  the  courtyard 
and  made  the  best  of  her  way  to  her  own  room  in  the 
little  house  and  wrote  down  in  cipher  —  a  cipher  of 
her  own  —  everything  of  importance  that  she  had 
overheard. 

After  that  it  was  but  a  matter  of  a  few  minutes  to  de- 
cide on  her  course  of  action.  She  knew  that  it  would 
be  extremely  dangerous  to  call  a  servant  or  to  do  any- 
thing that  might  arouse  the  ofiicers,  who  had  by  this 
time  gone  to  bed,  so  she  went  to  the  stables  and  saddled 
a  horse  herself,  and  galloped  away  in  the  direction  of 
the  mountains.  The  moon  was  shining  when  she 
started  on  this  wild  ride.  She  had  in  her  possession 
passes  which  she  had  obtained  from  time  to  time  for 
Confederate  soldiers  who  were  returning  south.  With- 
out them  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  her  to  have 


26    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

accomplished  her  purpose.  Before  she  had  gone  a 
half  mile  she  was  halted  by  a  Federal  sentry.  He 
grabbed  the  bridle  of  her  horse  and  cried  out : 

"  Where  are  you  going?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  visit  a  sick  friend,"  was  the  ready 
response. 

"  You  can't  do  it,"  he  cried.  "  You  ought  to  know 
that  you  can't  leave  this  place  without  a  pass." 

"  But  I  have  one,"  she  said,  w'ith  an  engaging  smile, 
and  drew  out  the  piece  of  pasteboard. 

The  guard  looked  at  it  dubiously,  but  it  was  in 
proper  form  and  contained  the  necessary  signature 
and  he  grudgingly  permitted  her  to  continue  on  her 
journey. 

Twice  again  she  was  halted  by  sentinels  and  each 
time  she  told  the  same  story  and  underwent  the  same 
experience.  Once  clear  of  the  chain  of  sentries  she 
whipped  her  horse  and  hurried  ahead  for  a  distance  of 
fifteen  miles.  At  that  time  the  animal  was  in  a  per- 
fect lather  and  when  she  pulled  up  in  front  of  the 
frame  house  which  was  the  dwelling  place  of  her 
friends  the  horse  was  panting  and  trembling  from  the 
unusual  exertion.  She  leaped  from  the  animal's  back 
and  going  to  the  door  rapped  on  it  with  the  butt  end  of 
her  riding  whip.  There  was  no  reply,  so  she  ham- 
mered harder  than  ever.  Presently  a  window  in  the 
second  story  was  cautiously  opened  and  a  head  poked 
out  and  a  voice  called  : 

"Who's  there?" 

"  Belle  Boyd,  and  I  have  important  intelligence  to 
give  to  Colonel  Ashby." 


BELLE  BOYD  27 

"  My  dear  Belle!"  shrieked  the  voice  from  the  win- 
dow, "  Where  in  the  world  did  you  come  from  and 
how  did  you  get  here?  " 

'*  Oh,  I  forced  the  sentries,"  was  the  reply,  in  a 
matter  of  fact  voice. 

Within  sixty  seconds  the  girl  was  in  the  house  and 
receiving  refreshments  and  telling  her  strange  story  to 
her  wondering  friend.  The  horse  in  the  meantime 
was  taken  to  the  stable  by  a  negro  and  carefully 
groomed  and  fed.  Only  after  these  important  details 
had  been  attended  to  was  the  girl  permitted  to  tell  her 
story. 

"  I  must  see  Colonel  Ashby,"  she  said  in  conclusion, 
"  and  if  you  ca,n  tell  me  where  to  find  him  I  will  go  at 
once." 

She  was  informed  that  the  Confederate  officer  and 
his  party  were  in  the  woods  about  a  half  mile  distant 
from  the  place  in  which  they  were  sitting.  Just  as  the 
girl  was  ready  to  go  the  front  door  was  thrown  open 
and  Colonel  Ashby  stood  before  her.  He  looked  at 
her  as  if  she  were  a  ghost  and  then  finally  burst  forth 
in  amazement : 

"  My  God,  Miss  Belle,  is  that  you  ?  Where  did  you 
come  from?     Did  you  drop  from  the  clouds?  " 

"  No,"  she  said  smilingly,  "  I  didn't.  I  came  on 
horseback  and  I  have  some  very  important  informa- 
tion." 

Whereupon  she  related  the  details  of  the  council 
that  had  taken  place  in  the  Boyd  home,  and  then  told 
the  story  of  her  mad  ride  through  the  night.  She 
concluded  by  handing  him  the  cipher,  which  he  said 


28     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

would   be   communicated   to   his   superior   officers   at 
once. 

After  that  she  insisted  on  mounting  her  horse  and 
returning  home  again.  It  was  more  than  two  hours' 
ride,  during  which  time  she  ran  the  blockade  of  the 
sleeping  sentries  with  comparative  success.  Just  at 
dawn  when  she  w-as  in  sight  of  her  home  one  of  the 
sentries  she  was  passing  called  out : 

"Halt  or  I'll  shoot!" 

But  she  did  not  halt.  On  the  contrary  she  whipped 
her  horse  until  it  fairly  leaped  through  the  air.  She 
felt  that  the  man  w^as  leveling  his  gun  in  her  direction. 
She  lay  flat  on  her  horse's  back  with  her  arms  around 
his  neck,  and  this  was  done  in  the  very  nick  of  time, 
for  at  that  same  moment  a  hot  bullet  came  singing 
past  her  ears.  That  was  the  only  serious  interrup- 
tion. In  a  few  minutes  she  had  reached  the  grounds 
surrounding  the  Boyd  home.  Fortunately  no  one 
was  in  sight.  She  hurried  into  the  house  and 
went  to  bed  in  her  aunt's  room  just  at  the  break 
of  dawn. 

Two  days  later  General  Shields  marched  south  with 
the  idea  of  laying  a  trap  to  catch  General  Jackson. 
Once  again  the  fearless  girl  determined  to  carry  the 
information  she  possessed  to  her  Confederate  friends. 
Major  Tyndale,  at  that  time  Provost  Marshal,  gave 
Belle  Boyd  and  her  cousin  a  pass  to  Winchester.  Once 
there  a  gentleman  of  standing  in  the  community  called 
on  her  and  handing  her  a  package,  said : 

"  Miss  Belle,  I  am  going  to  ask  you  to  take  these 
letters,  and  send  them  through  the  lines  to  the  Con  fed- 


BELLE  BOYD  29 

erate  army.  One  of  them  is  of  supreme  importance 
and  I  beseech  you  to  try  and  get  it  safely  to  General 
Jackson." 

After  the  exercise  of  considerable  ingenuity  she 
managed  to  get  a  pass  to  Front  Royal.  To  add  to  the 
romantic  feature  of  the  business  a  young  Union  officer, 
who  admired  the  girl,  offered  to  escort  her  to  her  des- 
tination. They  went  in  a  carriage,  but  before  starting 
she  made  it  a  point  to  conceal  the  Jackson  letter  inside 
her  dress.  The  other  letters,  which  were  of  compara- 
tively small  importance,  she  handed  to  the  Union  offi- 
cer with  the  remark  that  she  would  take  them  from  him 
when  they  reached  Front  Royal.  On  the  way,  as  she 
feared,  they  were  stopped  by  a  sentinel.  The  Union 
admirer  of  the  Confederate  spy  explained  that  they 
had  a  pass  which  would  permit  them  to  proceed  on  their 
way,  but  the  zealous  sentinel  insisted  on  searching  them 
and  was  highly  indignant  when  he  discovered  the  com- 
promising letters  in  the  hands  cf  the  young  man.  He 
insisted  upon  confiscating  them,  but  in  the  excitement 
forgot  all  about  the  girl,  and  she  was  permitted  to  go 
unmolested,  carrying  with  her  the  precious  letter 
intended  for  General  Jackson. 

Afterwards  she  laughingly  expressed  contrition  for 
having  involved  an  ardent  admirer  in  such  a  serious 
plight,  but  excused  herself  on  the  ground  that  all  was 
fair  in  war  as  well  as  in  love.  Fortunately,  the  young 
man,  who  was  a  perfectly  loyal  Northern  soldier,  was 
given  the  credit  of  having  discovered  the  papers,  which 
were  valuable  to  his  superior  officers.  Thus  do  we 
sometimes  make  a  virtue  of  necessity. 


30    THE  WOELD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

After  Belle  Boyd  had  been  in  Front  Royal  for  sev- 
eral days  she  learned  that  the  Confederates  were  com- 
ing to  that  place,  but  she  also  discovered  that  General 
Banks  was  at  Strasbourg  with  4,000  men;  that  White 
was  at  Harper's  Ferry ;  Shields  and  Geary  a  short  dis- 
tance away,  and  Fremont  below  the  valley.  At  a  spot 
which  was  the  vital  point  all  of  the  separate  divisions 
were  expected  to  meet  and  cooperate  in  the  destruc- 
tion of  General  Jackson.  She  realized  that  the  Con- 
federates were  in  a  most  critical  situation  and  that 
unless  the  officers  in  command  were  aware  of  the  facts 
they  might  rush  into  a  trap  which  meant  possible 
annihilation. 

With  characteristic  promptness  she  decided  on  her 
plan  of  action.  She  rushed  out  to  warn  the  approach- 
ing Confederates.  On  that  occasion  she  wore  a  dark 
blue  dress  with  a  fancy  white  apron  over  it  which  made 
her  a  shining  mark  for  bullets.  The  Federal  pickets 
fired  at  her  but  missed  and  a  shell  burst  near  her  at 
one  time,  but  she  threw  herself  flat  on  the  ground  and 
thus  escaped  what  seemed  to  be  sure  death.  Presently 
she  came  within  sight  of  the  approaching  Confederates 
and  waved  her  bonnet  as  a  signal. 

Major  Harry  Douglass,  whom  she  knew,  galloped 
up  and  received  from  her  the  information,  which  he 
immediately  transmitted  to  General  Jackson.  The 
result  of  all  this  was  a  rout  of  the  Union  forces. 

It  was  in  this  battle  of  Bull  Run  which  followed 
soon  afterwards  that  General  Bee,  as  he  rallied  his 
men,  shouted : 

"  There's  Jackson  standing  like  a  stonewall !  " 


BELLE  BOYD  31 

From  that  time,  as  has  been  aptly  said,  the  name  he 
received  in  a  baptism  of  fire  displaced  that  which  he 
had  received  in  a  baptism  of  water. 

The  number  of  Union  men  engaged  in  the  battle  of 
Bull  Run  was  about  18,000,  and  the  number  of  Con- 
federates somewhat  greater. 

Soon  after  the  engagement  the  young  woman 
received  the  following  letter,  which  she  prized  until 
the  hour  of  her  death. 

Miss  Belle  Boyd: 

I  thank  you  for  myself  and  for  the  army,  for  the 
immense    service    you    have    rendered    your    country 

^"  ^^'  Hastily,  I  am  your  friend, 

T.  J.  Jackson,  C.  S.  A. 

Shortly  before  the  close  of  the  war  Belle  Boyd  was 
captured  and  imprisoned.  She  escaped  and  made  her 
way  to  England.  In  London  she  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  George  Augustus  Sala,  the  famous  writer. 
She  had  been  married  in  the  meantime  and  her  hus- 
band. Lieutenant  Hardage  of  the  Confederate  army, 
was  among  those  taken  prisoner  by  the  Union  forces. 

While  abroad  she  became  financially  embarrassed; 
indeed,  at  one  time  she  was  reduced  to  actual  want.  A 
stranger  in  a  strange  land,  sick  in  mind  and  body,  she 
was  in  a  pitiable  condition.  Mr.  Sala  wrote  a  letter 
to  the  London  Times  explaining  her  sad  state  and 
roundly  abusing  the  United  States  Government  w^hich 
had,  he  said,  not  only  imprisoned  her  husband  but  was 
also  "  barbarous  enough  to  place  him  in  irons." 


32     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

British  sympathies  were  very  strongly  with  the 
South  at  that  time,  and  as  a  result  of  this  plea  pro- 
vision was  made  for  the  immediate  wants  of  the 
famous  spy.  After  the  war  she  disappeared  from  the 
public  gaze,  and  some  years  later  died  in  comparative 
obscurity. 


Ill 


THE  INDIAN  SCOUT  WHO  WAS  THE 
HERO  OF  KING  PHILIP'S  WAR 


Ill 

THE  INDIAN  SCOUT  WHO  WAS  THE 
HERO  OF  KING  PHILIP'S  WAR 

IT  is  a  curious  fact  that  Job  Kattenanit,  one  of  the 
Praying  Indians  of  Deer  Island,  in  Boston  Har- 
bor, should  have  emerged  from  King  Philip's  war 
with  more  glory  than  any  other  man,  either  white  or 
red,  who  participated  in  that  bloody  contest. 

Like  the  historic  Biblical  character  from  whom  he 
received  his  name.  Job  was  a  sorely  afflicted  man.  He 
was  among  the  first  group  of  Indians  in  that  section 
of  the  United  States  to  accept  the  Christian  religion, 
and  it  was  this  fact,  and  in  order  to  distinguish  them 
from  the  other  red  men.  that  Kattenanit  and  his  com- 
panions received  the  designation  of  the  Praying 
Indians. 

It  is  regrettable  to  record,  however,  that  the  excesses 
of  some  of  the  other  natives  had  caused  an  indiscrim- 
inate hatred  of  the  Indians  throughout  New-  England. 
They  were  regarded  as  wild  beasts  who  should  be  shot 
and  killed  without  mercy.  It  was  while  this  feeling 
was  at  its  height  that  Job  Kattenanit  and  eleven  of  his 
companions  w^ere  arrested  on  a  charge  of  being  con- 
cerned in  the  murder  of  seven  w^hite  men.  They  were 
captured  in  the  town  of  Lancaster  and  brought  to 
Boston,  tied  "  neck  and  neck,"  as  the  practice  was  in 

S5 


36    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

those  primitive  days.  The  evidence  against  them  was 
of  the  tiimsiest  character,  and  it  was  only  through  the 
efforts  of  Captain  John  Gookin,  a  magistrate  who  felt 
a  special  interest  in  the  Indians,  that  their  lives  were 
spared  and  they  were  condemned  to  imprisonment  on 
Deer  Island. 

In  the  meantime  King  Philip,  the  Indian  chieftain, 
was  spreading  terror  among  the  white  people.  He  was 
jealous  of  their  gradual  encroachment  upon  what  he 
conceived  to  be  his  domain  and  he  planned  to  destroy 
them.  He  was  a  man  of  sagacity,  although  said  to  be 
wanting  in  physical  courage,  and  he  gradually  com- 
bined all  of  the  Indian  tribes  into  one  strong  confeder- 
ation and  waited  for  a  chance  to  strike  the  decisive 
blow. 

It  came  at  Swansea  on  Sunday,  July  4,  1675.  The 
settlers  were  going  to  church  when  the  Indians  sud- 
denly burst  upon  them.  But  these  pioneers  were  both 
pious  and  prepared,  and  taking  up  arms  they  routed 
their  assailants.  Philip  and  his  warriors  then  hunted 
the  settlers  in  the  Connecticut  valley,  burning  down 
their  homes  and  subjecting  the  people  to  the  most 
atrocious  forms  of  cruelty.  In  the  spring  the  war 
broke  out  anew  along  a  frontier  of  three  hundred 
miles  and  to  within  twenty  miles  of  Boston.  The 
Indians  had  remained  quiet  for  a  long  time  after  the 
initial  outbreak  —  so  quiet  that  the  whites  were 
thoroughly  alarmed.  They  knew  the  ruthless  nature 
of  their  foes  and  they  feared  the  consequences  to 
the  women  and  children  if  they  should  be  taken 
unawares. 


THE  INDIAN  SCOUT  37 

It  was  at  this  critical  stage  of  affairs  that  Major 
Gookin  —  he  had  been  promoted  —  bethought  himself 
of  the  Praying  Indians  on  Deer  Island.  It  was  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  know  something  of  the  plans  of 
King  Philip  and  his  bloodthirsty  redskins.  If  a  white 
man  went  into  their  camp  he  was  certain  to  be  scalped 
and  tortured.  If  an  Indian  could  be  induced  to  act  as 
a  spy  he  might  save  the  whites  from  a  wholesale  mas- 
sacre. 

The  eloquent  Major  visited  Deer  Island  and  pre- 
sented these  facts  to  the  prisoners  and  called  for  vol- 
unteers. He  said  that  a  service  of  this  kind  would 
not  only  secure  the  release  of  the  Praying  Indians,  but 
would  win  for  them  the  lasting  friendship  of  the  white 
people. 

"  I  go,"  said  one  handsome  brave,  rising  and  lifting 
his  hand  solemnly  in  mid-air.  "  I  go,  not  for  reward, 
but  to  save  the  palefaces  from  death." 

The  Indian  was  Job  Kattenanit.  He  was  tall  and 
perfectly  erect,  with  piercing  black  eyes  and  a  grave, 
almost  sorrowful  countenance.  There  was  a  sugges- 
tion of  nobility  in  his  bearing.  In  short,  he  might 
well  have  passed  for  the  original  of  Deerfoot,  so  viv- 
idly pictured  by  James  Fenimore  Cooper. 

Major  Gookin  recognized  him  at  once.  He  knew 
the  Indians  personally,  and  he  had  a  special  friendship 
for  this  straight  shouldered  chap.  He  rushed  over  and 
gripped  him  by  the  hand. 

"Job."  he  exclaimed.  "  the  white  people  shall  know 
of  this  and  in  time  it  will  help  your  people." 

A  mist  passed  before  the  bright  eyes  of  the  Indian, 


38    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

and  he  gave  a  gesture  as  if  to  sweep  the  suggestion 
aside. 

"  White  man  cruel  to  Indian,"  he  rejoined,  "  but  the 
red  man  must  return  good  for  evil." 

As  they  were  about  to  leave  another  Indian  rose  in 
his  place  and  said : 

"  Me  go,  too  —  me  go  with  Job." 

This  was  James  Quannapohit,  a  native  in  whom 
Major  Gookin  also  had  implicit  confidence.  After 
deliberation  he  decided  to  accept  the  services  of  both 
volunteers.  They  were  taken  aside  and  given  careful 
directions. 

That  night  Job  and  James  were  brought  secretly 
from  Deer  Island  and  set  free  —  according  to  arrange- 
ment. In  order  to  avoid  difficulties  they  had  been 
first  escorted  beyond  the  British  lines. 

From  that  point  they  journeyed  alone  and  on  foot. 
It  was  a  long  walk,  and  when  they  reached  their  des- 
tination they  were  footsore,  hungry  and  almost  in 
rags.  It  was  as  they  wished.  They  bore  the  appear- 
ance of  fugitives,  of  escaped  prisoners.  It  was  day- 
break when  they  arrived  in  the  camp  of  the  Nipmuck 
Indians.  They  threw  themselves  on  their  faces  and 
begged  for  food  and  drink.  The  amazed  redskins 
who  surrounded  them  wanted  to  know  who  they  were 
and  what  they  were  doing  in  the  camp  of  the  Nipmuck 
Indians.  Job,  who  acted  as  spokesman,  insisted  upon 
refreshments  and  said  he  would  tell  his  story  to  some 
one  in  authority.  After  their  wants  had  been  satis- 
fied they  were  escorted  to  Mantampe,  a  chief  Sachem 
of  the  tribe. 


THE  INDIAN  SCOUT  39 

"  What  you  do  here?  "  he  demanded. 

"  We  have  escaped  from  the  chitches  of  the  white 
man,"  rephed  Job  in  his  native  tongue,  "  and  we  came 
to  you  for  protection.  The  white  man  of  Lancaster 
came  and  took  the  red  man  prisoner.  He  charged  us 
with  murdering  his  squaws  and  he  gave  us  no  chance 
to  defend  ourselves." 

"  Tell  me  more,"  said  the  chief  Sachem,  deeply  inter- 
ested. 

Job  did  as  he  was  requested  and  he  was  able  to  do  so 
all  the  more  eloquently  because  he  was  giving  an 
account  of  some  things  that  had  actually  occurred  to 
the  Praying  Indians.  He  said  they  had  been  accused 
by  David,  a  fellow  savage,  of  being  concerned  in  the 
murder  of  the  whites.  But  he  added  that  the  manner 
in  which  David  was  forced  to  make  this  charge  robbed 
it  of  all  value.  He  related  how  Colonel  Mosely  and  a 
scouting  party  captured  David  and  tied  him  to  a  tree; 
how  with  six  muskets  pointed  at  his  head  he  was  told 
to  confess  or  die.  To  save  his  life  he  named  eleven 
men  he  understood  were  present  at  the  murder,  though 
he  himself  was  not  there,  and  knew  nothing  about  it. 
The  men  were  put  on  trial,  and  so  great  and  indiscrim- 
inate was  the  popular  feeling  against  the  natives  that 
several  of  them  were  condemned. 

"  But  you  are  alive,"  grinned  the  Sachem. 

Job  admitted  the  soft  impeachment  and  explained 
how  he  and  his  companions  had  been  imprisoned  on 
Deer  Island.  He  said  that  he  and  James  Ouannapohit 
had  managed  to  escape,  but  slyly  enough  neglected  to 
tell  the  Sachem  that  the  escape  had  been  arranged  by 


40    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

their  English  friends.  He  concluded  by  saying  that 
they  had  come  to  the  camp  of  the  Nipmuck  Indians  to 
get  the  lay  of  the  land,  "  so  that  they  might  advise  the 
friends  they  had  left  if  it  would  be  possible  for  them 
also  to  escape." 

The  Sachem  accepted  the  story  of  Job  and  his  com- 
panion and  they  were  given  the  liberty  of  the  camp. 
The  two  Praying  Indians  kept  their  eyes  and  ears  open 
and  learned  much.  Mantampe  was  undoubtedly  in 
command  of  a  large  force.  Job  met  many  of  the 
Indians,  who  were,  as  a  rule,  able  fighting  men, 
straight  as  arrows,  very  tall  and  active. 

Three  squaws  who  were  in  the  camp  interested  and 
amused  the  spies.  One  was  a  very  proud  dame.  She 
spent  the  best  part  of  each  day  in  dressing  herself  in 
all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow ;  she  powdered  her  hair 
and  painted  her  face,  wore  numberless  necklaces,  had 
jewels  in  her  hair  and  bracelets  on  her  wrists.  When 
she  finished  her  toilet  she  sat  down  and  spent  the 
remainder  of  the  day  in  making  girdles  of  wampum 
and  beads. 

James  Quannapohit  found  great  favor  in  the  eyes 
of  Mantampe.  He  made  him  share  his  tent  with 
him  and  insisted  upon  his  repeating  the  story  of  his 
escape  from  Deer  Island.  During  the  course  of  these 
talks  James  learned  that  the  Nipmuck  Indians  contem- 
plated a  raid  on  the  white  settlers.  They  proposed  to 
burn  Lancaster  and  then  attack  other  towns.  The 
method  of  the  raid  was  not  made  clear.  One  morning 
Mantampe  called  James  before  him. 

"  Son,"  he  said  in  substance,  "  I  am  about  to  take  a 


THE  INDIAN  SCOUT  41 

journey  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  the  big  chief,  King 
Philip.     If  all  goes  well  I  may  take  you  with  me." 

This  alarmed  James.  He  dreaded  the  idea  of  going 
further  into  the  Indian  country,  perhaps  to  a  point 
where  it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to  make  his  es- 
cape. Besides  that  he  had  a  good  reason  for  wishing 
to  avoid  a  meeting  with  the  king.  He  had  once  fought 
against  Philip  at  Mount  Hope.  He  had  taken  a  con- 
spicuous part  in  the  battle  and  he  knew  that  if  the 
King  recognized  him  he  would  be  shot. 

The  next  morning  he  arose  before  any  one  was  stir- 
ring, and  left  the  camp.  He  urged  Job  to  go  along 
with  him  but  the  other  spy  refused  to  do  so. 

"  But  you  will  be  killed,"  urged  James,  "  when  they 
discover  my  absence.  They  will  at  once  suspect  that 
you  are  a  spy,  and  that  means  death." 

Job  shook  his  head. 

"  You  go,"  he  said.  "  I  don't  blame  you  for  that. 
But  I  am  going  to  stay  for  a  while.  It  may  mean  life 
or  death,  but  I  am  willing  to  take  my  chances." 

Nothing  that  James  could  say  would  shake  the 
determination  of  Job.  So  the  younger  Indian  started 
on  the  return  journey  to  Boston  alone.  There  had 
been  severe  storms  and  the  snow^  lay  deep  on  the 
ground.  It  was  necessar}'  for  the  Indian  to  wear 
heavy  snowshoes  and  this  made  traveling  all  the  more 
difficult. 

AVhen  the  Indian  spy  reached  Boston  he  had  a  tale 
of  unparalleled  hardships  to  relate  to  his  white  friends. 
But  more  important  than  that  was  his  story  of  the  plans 
of  the  Indians  against  the  settlers  in  and  around  Lan- 


42    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

caster.  He  was  highly  praised  for  the  effective  work 
he  had  done  and  was  showered  with  attentions  by  the 
white  men  and  their  famihes.  For  the  first  time  since 
the  beginning  of  what  is  popularly  known  as  King 
Philip's  war  an  Indian  was  treated  as  though  he  were 
a  human  being. 

Indeed,  it  is  no  exaggeration  to  state  that  the  exploit 
of  the  two  Indians  did  more  to  reinstate  the  redskins 
in  the  good  graces  of  the  whites  than  anything  that 
had  occurred  in  years. 

But  curiously  enough  the  settlers  did  little  or  nothing 
to  protect  themselves  against  the  expected  attack.  The 
very  warning  which  should  have  put  them  on  their 
guard  seemed  to  lull  them  into  a  false  sense  of  security. 
There  were  two  reasons  for  this.  The  first  one  was 
that  the  suspected  danger  was  comparatively  remote 
—  a  matter  of  weeks  in  fact.  Another  and  more  im- 
portant one  was  the  desire  to  get  further  and  fuller 
information  from  the  other  Indian  scout.  Job  was  the 
shrewder  and  more  capable  of  the  two  messengers.  It 
was  just  possible  that  the  abrupt  departure  of  James 
might  arouse  the  suspicion  of  the  savages  and  cause 
them  to  entirely  revise  their  plans,  James  was  closely 
questioned  concerning  his  companion. 

"  Why  didn't  he  come  back  with  you  ? "  he  was 
asked. 

James  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  threw  out  his 
hands  in  a  gesture  of  hopelessness. 

"  He  very  stubborn  man.  Have  his  own  way. 
No  listen  to  poor  James." 

"  Do  you  think  he  intends  to  come  back  ?  " 


THE  INDIAN  SCOUT  43 

At  this  suggestion  of  possible  disloyalty  on  the  part 
of  his  friend  the  Indian  became  very  indignant.  He 
was  so  angry  that  he  found  it  impossible  to  express 
himself  coherently.  But  his  manner,  if  not  his  words, 
perfectly  satisfied  the  questioner  of  the  perfect  good 
faith  of  Job.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  was  never 
seriously  doubted  and  the  white  man  who  propounded 
the  query  felt  ashamed  at  ha\ing  put  the  unworthy 
suspicion  into  words. 

In  the  meantime  Job  found  himself  in  an  embarrass- 
ing and  really  dangerous  situation.  With  the  llight 
of  James  the  savages,  for  the  first  time,  became  skep- 
tical concerning  the  motives  of  the  two  visitors.  The 
chief  Sachem  sent  for  Job  and  put  him  through  a 
severe  cross-examination.  But  Job  was  shrewd  and 
told  them  a  cock-and-bull  story  that  satisfied  their 
curiosity.  As  a  result  of  this  he  was  treated  with  even 
more  consideration  than  when  he  first  arrived  in  camp. 
He  was  fearful  lest  the  Sachem  should  want  him  to 
accompany  him  on  the  proposed  visit  to  King  Philip. 
He  knew  that  to  go  before  the  big  Chief  w'ould  be 
taking  his  life  in  his  hands.  Finally,  to  his  great  joy, 
the  Sachem  decided  that  he  should  not  go  on  the  trip. 

The  next  three  days  were  days  of  great  anxiety  to 
the  spy.  He  knew  that  the  emissary  to  the  King  would 
bring  final  plans  for  the  attack  on  the  whites  and  he 
was  fearful  lest  anything  should  happen  to  deprive 
him  of  this  much  needed  information.  So  he  exerted 
himself  to  the  utmost  in  order  to  keep  the  good  will  of 
the  savages.  As  a  result  of  this  they  virtually  took 
him  to  their  bosoms.     In  speaking  of  this  afterwards 


44    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

he  said  that  he  felt  no  compunctions  of  conscience. 
He  did  not  feel  that  he  was  betraying  them  but  rather 
that  he  was  engaged  in  an  honest  attempt  to  save 
human  life. 

He  took  part  in  their  amusements,  which  helped  to 
while  away  the  time.  One  of  the  most  popular  of  the 
games  was  called  "  hunt  the  button,"  a  diversion  some- 
what akin  to  that  which  is  enjoyed  by  children  the 
world  over.  This  was  played  at  night  when  the  na- 
tives, in  paint  and  buckskin,  seated  themselves  around 
a  tepee,  with  the  fire  blazing  bright  in  their  faces,  as 
they  swung  their  hands  in  time  with  a  rhythmic  chant. 
This  was  indulged  in  by  both  sexes.  Also  they  played 
the  game  of  "  deer-foot."  In  this  a  number  of  cylin- 
drical bones,  usually  taken  from  the  foot  of  the  deer, 
and  perforated  with  several  holes  around  their  sides, 
were  strung  on  a  cord,  which  had  at  one  end  several 
strands  of  beads  and  at  the  other  a  long  needle.  The 
object  was  to  toss  the  string,  with  the  beads  upon  it, 
in  such  a  way  as  to  catch  in  the  point  of  the  needle, 
which  was  retained  in  the  hand,  any  designated  one  of 
the  bones  or  bead  strands. 

But  presently  the  Sachem  returned  from  his  visit  to 
the  King  and  from  the  air  of  activity  which  prevailed 
Job  realized  that  something  important  was  on  hand.  It 
did  not  take  him  long  to  find  out  that  that  something 
was  war.  Clubs  that  were  armed  with  jagged  teeth  of 
stone  were  brought  from  their  hiding  places  and  sharp- 
ened. Javelins,  lances  and  arrows  became  very  much 
in  evidence.  The  arrows  were  most  numerous.  They 
were  made  of  hard  wood  and  with  a  feather  from  the 


KING    PUiLll",    OR    ilEIACu:j':T. 


THE  INDIxVN  SCOUT  45 

eagle.  These  various  weapons  were  not  unknown  to 
Job,  of  course,  but  his  own  tril^e  was  composed  of 
more  peace-loving  Indians  and  they  were  not  in  the 
habit  of  using  the  more  destructive  weapons. 

Finally  one  night  the  Sachem  gathered  the  most  im- 
portant men  of  the  tribe  about  him  and  outlined  the 
plans  of  King  Philip.  Job,  who  was  still  in  the  con- 
fidence of  the  savages,  was  permitted  to  hear  all  that 
was  said.  The  proposal  was  shocking,  even  to  a  red- 
skin. The  intention  was  to  destroy  the  whites  at  one 
blow,  if  that  were  possible.  The  day  and  the  hour  at 
which  the  descent  was  to  be  made  upon  Lancaster  was 
fixed  and  the  method  of  attack  outlined.  This  was 
ne^'s  indeed,  and  vastly  more  important  than  that 
which  had  been  carried  to  Boston  by  James. 

Job  Kattenanit  knew  that  the  hour  had  come  to  act. 
With  haste  he  would  have  time  to  warn  the  threatened 
settlers,  but  with  not  a  minute  to  spare.  Creeping 
away,  he  made  for  the  edge  of  the  camp.  Fortunately 
most  of  the  Indians  —  aside  from  those  who  were  at- 
tending the  council  of  war  —  were  asleep.  He  passed 
one  sentinel  unobserved  and  gained  the  fringe  of  the 
encampment  in  safety.  The  road  to  Boston  was  fa- 
miliar to  him  and  he  counted  on  reaching  there  by  dusk 
on  the  evening  of  Fel^ruary  8th. 

But  just  as  he  struck  the  main  road  leading  to  his 
destination  there  was  a  cry  of  anger  and  dismay  from 
the  Nipmuck  camp. 

His  flight  had  been  discovered. 

Instead  of  halting  he  redoubled  his  speed.  From 
time  to  time  he  heard  savage  cries  and  he  knew  that 


46    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

he  was  being  pursued.  The  thought  of  giving  up 
never  once  entered  his  mind.  It  was  too  late  to  re- 
treat now.  The  Nipmuck  Indians  had  been  credulous 
enough,  but  it  would  be  impossible  to  deceive  them  any 
longer.  Job  was  in  fine  physical  condition  and  he  ran 
with  the  swiftness  of  a  deer.  But  his  enemies  were 
equally  fleet-footed  and  it  seemed  only  a  question  of 
time  when  he  would  be  overtaken.  Nearer  and  nearer 
came  the  footsteps  in  the  rear.  He  felt  that  there 
must  be  a  number  of  Indians  in  the  party,  but  evi- 
dently they  did  not  have  time  to  give  a  general  alarm. 

Just  when  he  was  congratulating  himself  on  the 
possibility  of  outrunning  his  pursuers  an  arrow 
whizzed  past  his  head.  This  was  a  new  danger  and 
one  that  he  had  not  anticipated.  He  paused  for  a  sec- 
ond and  turned  to  look  at  the  men  who  were  after  him. 
Instantly  a  well-directed  arrow  struck  him  in  the  chest 
within  an  inch  of  the  region  of  the  heart. 

A  heavy  blanket  covered  the  fleeing  redskin,  and 
with  that  momentary  pause  and  turn  the  arrow  had 
penetrated  the  covering.  But,  as  by  a  miracle,  it  went 
no  further.  The  Praying  Indian  wore  a  metal  charm 
on  his  breast,  suspended  by  a  string  fastened  about  his 
neck.     That  saved  his  life. 

In  that  trying  moment  the  shrewd  Indian  made  his 
resolution.  To  pull  the  arrow  out  and  run  ahead 
again  only  meant  postponing  the  inevitable.  Instead 
of  that,  he  paused  motionless  for  a  second,  then 
swayed  to  and  fro,  and  fell  flat  on  his  back. 

Everything  depended  upon  the  success  of  this  ruse. 
It  was,  perhaps,  half  a  minute  before  the  Nipmuck 


THE  INDIAN  SCOUT  47 

Indians  came  up,  and  when  they  did  they  regarded  the 
motionless  body  with  something  hke  awe.  Job  sup- 
pressed his  breathing  as  much  as  possible.  Two  of 
the  pursuers  engaged  in  an  animated  conversation,  and 
finally  turning,  retraced  their  steps,  leaving  the  spy  for 
dead. 

He  lay  there  perfectly  quiet  until  he  was  sure  they 
were  out  of  sight.  Then  he  jumped  up  and  resumed 
his  interrupted  flight.  The  story  of  that  journey 
through  a  wilderness  in  the  most  inclement  season  of 
the  year  should  rank  with  the  classics  of  ad\enture. 
But  only  the  savage  himself  knew  what  he  was  com- 
pelled to  undergo,  and  he  never  spoke  of  it  after- 
wards. 

He  arrived  at  ^^lajor  Gookin's  house  late  on  the 
night  of  February  9th.  His  feet  were  bruised  and 
bleeding  from  the  long  trip  and  he  was  faint  from 
weakness  on  account  of  exposure  and  want  of  food. 
All  of  the  inmates  at  the  Gookin  dwelling  were  asleep 
and  Job  had  to  rap  repeatedly  on  the  door  to  awaken 
them.  Presently  the  Major  came  downstairs  and  the 
meeting  between  the  two  —  white  man  and  the  red  — 
was  most  affecting. 

The  tidings  he  brought  were  startling.  It  was  evi- 
dent that  it  would  only  be  a  question  of  hours  before 
the  settlers  were  attacked.  INIajor  Gookin  did  not 
return  to  his  bed  that  night.  He  dispatched  messen- 
gers to  all  of  the  surrounding  towns.  In  an  incredibly 
short  time  troops  were  marching  from  everywhere  to 
the  aid  of  the  threatened  town.  Captain  Wadsworth, 
at  Marlborough,  received  the  news  at  daybreak  and 


48     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

started  for  Lancaster  at  once.  Others  did  the  same 
thing. 

The  savages  came  over  four  hundred  strong.  Re- 
enforcements  added  to  this  number.  The  white  men 
were  not  so  numerous,  but  they  fought  with  a  courage 
born  of  desperation.  The  town  was  partially  de- 
stroyed by  fire  and  a  few  of  the  people  taken  prisoners 
by  the  Indians.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  warning  of 
Job  Kattenanit  there  would  have  been  a  wholesale  mas- 
sacre and  Lancaster  would  have  been  left  in  ashes. 

That  was  the  beginning  of  the  end.  Driven  to 
drastic  measures  by  the  atrocities  of  the  savages,  the 
settlers  hunted  down  the  Indians  like  wild  beasts. 
King  Philip  was  driven  from  one  hiding  place  to  an- 
other, going  finally  to  his  old  home  on  Mount  Hope, 
Rhode  Island,  where  he  was  shot  by  a  faithless  Indian, 
August  12,  1676. 

But  Job  Kattenanit,  the  Praying  Indian,  did  more 
than  any  white  man  to  break  up  the  reign  of  terror 
caused  by  the  savages,  and  even  though  history  fails 
to  mention  the  fact,  he  was  the  real  hero  of  King 
Philip's  War. 


f 


IV 


HOW  THE  SUICIDE  OF  A  STAFF  OFFICER 

ONCE  AVERTED  WAR  BETWEEN 

AUSTRIA  AND  RUSSIA 


IV 

HOW  THE  SUICIDE  OF  A  STAFF  OFFICER 

ONCE  AVERTED  WAR  BETWEEN 

AUSTRIA  AND  RUSSIA 

COULD  the  preservation  of  the  hfe  of  an  of- 
ficer of  the  Austrian  army  on  May  26,  19 13, 
have  prevented  the  devastating  war  in  Eu- 
rope that  followed?  And  if  the  same  man  had  lived 
would  it  have  precipitated  a  war  at  that  time  between 
Austria  and  Russia? 

These  questions  may  remain  unanswered  to  the  end 
of  time,  but  there  are  students  of  history  who  do  not 
hesitate  to  give  an  affirmative  reply  to  each  of  the 
momentous  queries. 

The  story  of  Colonel  Albert  Riddle  —  that  is  near 
enough  to  his  real  name  to  make  it  clear  to  those  who 
were  within  the  inner  circle  and  far  enough  away  to 
protect  the  feelings  of  his  descendants  who  are  still 
living  —  is  one  of  the  strangest  in  history.  In  its  way 
it  takes  its  place  with  the  Mystery  of  the  Man  in  the 
Iron  Mask,  although  in  the  present  case  there  was 
never  any  question  of  the  identity  of  the  victim  or  of 
the  fact  of  his  death. 

Colonel  Riddle  was  connected  with  the  general  staff 
of  the  Eighth  Army  Corps.  He  was  one  of  the 
favorites   of    the   Austrian   Court.     He   was    young, 

61 


52     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

handsome,  attractive  and  with  a  dash  and  go  about 
him  that  made  him  a  general  favorite.     He  had  won 
an  enviable  record  for  bravery  in  battle,  and  was  con- 
sidered an  efficient  officer  in  every  sense  of  the  term. 
Presently  the  time  came  when  it  was  desirable  to 
learn  something  concerning  the  secrets  of  the  Russian 
army  plans.     Austria,  like  all  other  great  countries  in 
Europe,  had  any  number  of  spies,  but  very   few  of 
them  were  available  for  the  character  of  work  which 
would  be  necessary  in  order  to  learn  the  plans  of  the 
higher  military  officers  of  the  Russian  Empire.     It 
was  in  this  emergency  that  Colonel  Riddle  was  called 
upon.     He  had  a  young  soldier's  love  of  adventure 
and  he  eagerly  volunteered  for  the  delicate  and  difficult 
task.     He  was  well  supplied  with  money  and  authority 
and  eventually  he  went  to  St.  Petersburg,  where  he 
posed  as  a  sort  of  military  attache  of  the  Austrian 
embassy.     The  social  side  of  life  in   St.   Petersburg 
attracted  him  immensely  and  while  he  devoted  part  of 
his  time  to  the  work  for  which  he  had  been  assigned, 
he  nevertheless  found  numerous  opportunities  for  sat- 
isfying his  love  for  the  pleasant  things  of  life. 

Indeed,  so  genial  did  he  find  his  surroundings,  that 
he  had  little  or  no  desire  to  return  home.  He  became 
very  popular  with  the  ladies  of  the  Russian  Court,  and 
participated  in  many  of  the  social  events  for  which 
that  capital  was  noted. 

But  everything  has  its  end,  and  finally  the  day  came 
when  it  was  deemed  necessary  for  him  to  return  to 
Vienna.  He  reached  Austria  in  due  time  and  made  a 
comprehensive  report  of  his  discoveries,  a  report  that 


A  STAFF  OFFICER  53 

was  considered  acceptable  by  the  higher  officers  of  the 
Austrian  army.  After  that  he  retired  to  his  home  in 
Prague,  Bohemia.  He  had  many  friends  there  and 
indulged  in  what  was  regarded  as  a  well  earned  rest. 
His  activities  —  his  military  activities  —  were  sus- 
pended for  the  time  being,  and  this  high  grade  spy 
enjoyed  life  with  more  zest  than  is  granted  to  the 
ordinary  or  commonplace  person. 

But  suddenly  and  as  unexpectedly  as  a  bolt  from 
the  blue  sky  came  the  report  that  Colonel  Riddle  was 
suspected  of  treason  to  his  country. 

He  was  summoned  to  Vienna  to  defend  himself 
from  the  charges.  Now  whether  they  were  true  or 
not  never  has  been  and  never  will  be  definitely  deter- 
mined. At  all  events  the  military  and  social  circles 
of  the  gayest  capital  in  the  world  were  filled  with 
stories  which  were  not  creditable  to  the  fascinating  and 
really  popular  colonel.  These  stories,  it  may  be  stated 
with  surety,  lost  nothing  in  the  telling,  and  as  they 
went  from  mouth  to  mouth  they  assumed  proportions 
which  represented  Riddle  as  being  one  of  the  most 
marvelous  deceivers  of  his  time. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  talk  took  on  a  new  twist.  It 
was  contended  that  if  Colonel  Riddle  lived  to  be  prose- 
cuted for  treason  the  revelations  at  his  trial  would 
make  it  impossible  for  Austria  to  maintain  friendly 
relations  with  Russia.  The  gossip  said  more  than 
that;  it  said  that  not  only  relations  with  Russia  would 
be  broken,  but  that  the  bonds  between  Austria  and  one 
of  her  fully  trusted  allies  would  be  severely  strained. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  there  is  no  telling  to  what  extent 


54    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

Germany  and  Austria  might  have  found  reason  to  sus- 
pect each  other  had  Colonel  Riddle  gone  on  the  stand 
and  made  the  revelations  which  would  have  been 
necessary  in  order  for  him  to  defend  himself  on  the 
charge  of  treason.  He  was  accused  by  unknown  ac- 
cusers of  not  only  giving  military  secrets  of  Austria 
and  Germany  to  Russia,  but  also  of  having  betrayed 
to  Russia  the  Russian  officers  who  were  selling  Rus- 
sia's military  secrets  to  Austria  and  Germany.  Those 
who  were  acquainted  with  the  man  were  vehement  in 
denying  his  guilt  of  any  such  double  faced  dealings. 
At  all  events,  one  of  the  secrets  of  this  talk  was  that 
Austria  and  Germany  very  materially  revised  their 
plans  for  mobilizing  their  forces  along  the  Russian 
frontier. 

In  the  meantime,  while  Colonel  Riddle  was  in  Vi- 
enna preparing  for  the  court-martial,  the  Government 
had  its  agents  in  Bohemia  collecting  evidence  to  be 
used  against  the  accused  man.  Two  of  the  secret 
service  men  who  were  in  Prague  burst  into  his  room 
for  the  purpose  of  securing  any  information  that 
might  be  obtained  there.  At  first  it  looked  as  if  they 
were  to  have  their  labors  for  their  pains.  Nothing 
out  of  the  ordinary  was  found.  It  was  a  sort  of 
apartment  that  might  be  expected  to  belong  to  a  com- 
paratively wealthy  and  popular  young  man.  There 
were  trophies  from  all  parts  of  the  world;  souvenirs 
of  his  stay  at  St.  Petersburg  —  this,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered, was  before  the  days  that  the  capital  of  Russia 
assumed  the  unfamiliar  name  of  Petrograd  —  and 
other  interesting  places.     There  were  numerous  pri- 


A  STAFF  OFFICER  55 

vate  letters,  some  of  them  tender  love  missives.  But 
at  the  last  moment  the  secret  service  men  discovered 
a  private  desk  in  a  corner  of  the  room  which,  when 
broken  open,  disclosed  a  number  of  papers  of  an  in- 
criminating character.  It  was  positively  declared  at 
the  time  that  if  certain  of  these  papers  ever  became 
public  nothing  could  prevent  a  war  between  Austria 
and  Russia. 

And  here  another  curious  twist  is  introduced  in  this 
strangest  of  strange  stories.  It  was  asserted  in  a  way 
that  gave  it  the  appearance  of  verity  that  some  of  the 
papers,  had  they  come  to  light,  would  have  ruptured, 
if  not  entirely  broken,  the  relations  between  Austria 
and  Germany.  Even  at  that  lime  these  two  countries 
were  looked  upon  as  the  Siamese  twins  among  the  na- 
tions of  Europe.  The  Austrian  authorities  were  seri- 
ously alarmed.  They  could  not  contemplate  a  struggle 
between  their  own  country  and  their  German  ally  with 
equanimity.  The  question  was  what  to  do  under  these 
critical  circumstances.  One  of  the  first  things  was  to 
take  charge  of  all  of  the  possessions  of  the  unfortunate 
man.  Everything  was  seized  —  not  only  the  official 
papers,  but  private  letters,  tailors'  bills,  photographs, 
and  all  other  articles  that  were  found  in  the  room. 
Not  only  were  the  papers  seized  and  sequestered,  but 
his  apartments  were  sealed,  thus  concluding  the  first 
act  in  the  tragic  drama. 

But  the  most  serious  part  of  the  business  was  still 
to  come.  The  papers  were  out  of  the  way ;  there  was 
no  documentary  evidence  in  the  case,  but  the  man  still 
remained,  and  what  he  might  do  or  say  was  the  un- 


56    THE  AVORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

known  quantity  in  the  problem.  The  strangest  part  of 
the  queer  affair  was  that  in  spite  of  all  of  these  charges 
and  counter  charges  against  the  fascinating  colonel  he 
was  still  looked  upon  as  a  most  patriotic  person.  It 
was  assumed  —  and  probably  with  correctness  —  that 
while  he  had  been  indiscreet  and  possibly  blameworthy, 
he  never  really  intended  to  betray  his  own  country. 
Anyhow  the  cold  facts  remained.  It  was  a  condition 
and  not  a  theory  which  confronted  those  in  authority. 
The  court-martial  had  been  ordered.  It  was  fixed  for 
a  certain  day.  If  it  took  place  according  to  schedule 
it  might  strike  the  spark  which  would  cause  a  terrific 
explosion  in  Europe.  If  it  were  postponed,  how  could 
the  postponement  be  explained?  And  even  if  it  were, 
there  would  still  remain  the  man  who  had  been  indis- 
creet and  who  might  be  again. 

It  was  at  this  stage  of  events  that  Colonel  Riddle, 
who  was  kept  in  strict  confinement,  received  a  call  from 
two  of  his  fellow  officers.  They  smoked  and  chatted, 
and  even  had  a  glass  of  wine  together.  All  of  the 
facts  were  placed  before  him  in  an  orderly  manner. 
He  was  shown  that  he  could  not  escape  under  any 
circumstances  and  that  if  he  should  live,  the  life  of  the 
empire  might  be  threatened.  It  was  the  existence  of 
one  or  the  other.  He  was  told,  as  he  knew  very  well, 
that  any  attempt  to  defend  himself  would  place  Austria 
in  the  position  of  having  attempted  to  steal  the  military 
secrets  of  Russia,  and  further,  of  being  faithless  to 
Germany.  Finally,  about  midnight,  they  parted,  and 
as  the  officers  left  the  room  one  of  them  with  a  signifi- 
cant gesture  handed  Colonel  Riddle  a  loaded  pistol. 


A  STAFF  OFFICER  57 

The  next  morning  when  the  guard  made  his  regular 
rounds  his  eyes  met  a  shocking  sight.  Colonel  Riddle 
lay  prostrate  on  the  floor  with  a  bullet  wound  in  his 
forehead.  The  pistol  with  which  the  deed  was  com- 
mitted lay  by  his  side. 

There  was  much  regret,  of  course.  The  highest 
officials  of  the  Austrian  Court  were  heard  to  express 
sorrow  at  the  untimely  taking  off  of  the  popular  young 
officer.  His  high  standing,  his  unusual  ability  and  his 
bright  prospects  for  the  future  only  made  the  tragedy 
the  sadder. 

A  five  line  cablegram  told  the  story  to  America.  It 
is  doubtful  if  one  person  in  a  thousand  either  read 
it  or  paid  any  attention  to  it.  It  w^as  simply  reported 
as  the  suicide  of  a  soldier  who  was  about  to  be  placed 
on  trial  for  treason.  What  could  be  more  natural  than 
that  a  man  in  the  face  of  impending  disgrace  —  espe- 
cially when  he  had  been  a  trusted  officer  —  should  take 
his  life?  Such  things  had  happened  before.  Why 
should  it  excite  any  comment  ? 

In  the  early  part  of  the  following  month  there  were 
whispers  concerning  the  real  facts  that  lay  behind  the 
curious  story  of  Colonel  Riddle's  suicide.  These  facts 
came  to  light  little  by  little,  and  finally  w^ere  woven 
into  a  coherent  and  connected  story.  Many  friends  of 
the  dead  soldier,  who  knew  that  he  had  fought  bravely 
for  his  country  and  had  acted  as  a  spy  in  her  interests, 
also  knew  that  he  had  become  a  martyr  for  the  Fath- 
erland. 

One  of  the  results  of  the  tragic  affair  was  a  reorgan- 
ization of  the  entire  spy  system  of  the  Austrian  army. 


58    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

Secrets  which  had  hitherto  been  known  to  a  score  of 
men  were  now  confined  to  a  comparative  few.  Every 
man  w^as  placed  under  suspicion,  and  even  spies  whose 
fidelity  had  never  been  questioned  before  were  sub- 
jected to  the  closest  scrutiny  of  other  spies  whose  exist- 
ence was  unknown  to  them.  At  the  same  time  the  Ger- 
man secret  service  was  reorganized  and  put  in  position 
where  the  likelihood  of  a  betrayal  of  state  secrets  was 
exceedingly  improbable.  Even  those  who  were  unwill- 
ing to  believe  that  Colonel  Riddle  had  been  guilty 
of  treason  admitted  that  the  looseness  of  the  spy 
system  placed  it  within  the  power  of  many  men  to 
betray  those  for  whom  they  were  supposed  to  be  work- 
ing. 

"  The  Government,"  said  one  officer,  alluding  to  the 
tragedy  that  had  just  occurred,  "  found  it  imperatively 
necessary  to  close  the  mouth  of  one  of  its  own  sons.  I 
hope  the  necessity  for  such  a  thing  will  never  occur 
again." 

Germany  has  never  expressed  itself  officially  in  this 
matter,  but  those  who  know  a  thing  or  two  about  mili- 
tary methods  may  be  sure  that  the  important  officers 
in  that  country  fully  approved  of  the  manner  in  which 
this  unfortunate  incident  was  handled.  Experience 
has  provefl  that  there  is  no  way  to  keep  military  secrets, 
that  there  is  no  protection  against  the  weakness  or 
cupidity  of  your  own  spies.  Only  one  man  can  be 
trusted  with  a  mobilization  plan,  and  that  man  is  the 
chief  of  the  general  staff.  If  he  fails  it  is  madness  to 
put  him  on  trial.  The  only  reasonable  thing  to  do 
under  the  circumstances  is  to  have  him  efface  himself 


A  STAFF  OFFICER  59 

from   the  earth.     Exile   is  impossible.     Death   is  the 
only  remedy. 

Such  were  the  arguments  that  were  used  a  little  over 
two  years  ago  in  order  to  justify  the  Riddle  case. 
Since  that  time  dispatches  have  been  coming  from 
Germany,  Austria,  Italy  and  various  other  countries 
reporting  vaguely  that  documents  ha\e  been  seques- 
tered at  the  postoffices  in  these  places  and  that  those 
responsible  for  their  existence  have  been  subjected' to 
drastic  military  discipline.  That,  it  may  be  safe  to 
say,  means  that  those  who  know  too  much  ha\e  had  to 
answer  with  their  lives  for  their  indiscretion. 

In  a  short  while  after  the  death  of  Colonel  Riddle 
the  incident  was  forgotten,  and  so  far  as  people  are 
concerned  was  relegated  to  the  lumber  room  of  un- 
solved mysteries  —  and  to  that  hazy  and  uncertain 
section  of  history  which  is  filled  with  stories  that  every- 
body believes  and  no  one  is  willing  to  affirm.  But  it 
seems  curious  indeed  that  two  years  after  a  life  had 
been  sacrificed  in  order  to  avert  war,  the  nations  of 
Europe  should  be  engaged  in  a  death  grapple. 

War,  like  politics,  makes  strange  bedfellows.  The 
fate  of  nations  often  rests  on  the  tossing  of  a  coin. 
Human  lives  are  but  the  pawns  with  which  the  kings 
and  emperors  play  the  game.  This  was  pathetically 
illustrated  in  the  case  of  Colonel  Albert  Riddle.  By 
snuffing  out  his  owm  life  he  prevented  war  between  two 
great  empires.  And  yet.  as  if  by  the  decree  of  Neme- 
sis, the  Goddess  of  Justice,  these  same  countries  were 
soon  clutching  at  the  throat  of  one  another. 


THE  ROMANTIC  SIDE  OF  MAJOR  ANDRE'S 
UNSUCCESSFUL  EXPLOIT 


V 


THE  ROMANTIC  SIDE  OF  MAJOR  ANDRE'S 
UNSUCCESSFUL  EXPLOIT 

ALL  the  world  loves  a  lover,  and  the  fact  that  the 
unfortunate  Major  John  Andre  was  engaged  to 
be  married  to  a  charming  English  girl  at  the 
time  of  his  execution  helped  to  place  him  in  something 
like  a  romantic  light  before  the  world.  He  had 
another  advantage.  The  blackness  of  the  treason  of 
Benedict  Arnold  made  Andre  shine  by  comparison,  so 
that  while  the  American  was  regarded  with  horror  and 
contempt  everywhere,  the  unhappy  fate  of  the  young 
Englishman  excited  universal  sympathy. 

It  was  in  1769  that  Andre  met  Miss  Honora  Sneyd 
in  Litchfield,  England.  It  was  a  case  of  love  at  first 
sight,  ardent  and  impetuous  on  both  sides.  But, alas, as 
is  usual,  the  course  of  true  love  did  not  run  smoothly. 
The  match  was  disapproved  by  Miss  Sneyd's  father, 
and  the  young  man  was  told  to  keep  away  from  the 
house  of  his  adored  one.  To  make  assurance  doubly 
sure  he  was  sent  to  his  father's  counting  house  in  Lon- 
don. He  tried  hard  to  accustom  himself  to  office 
drudgery,  but  in  spite  of  his  best  intentions  the  face  of 
Honora  kept  popping  up   from  amidst  the  rows  of 

figures,  and  upsetting  his  calculations. 

63 


64     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

His  was  an  adventurous  spirit,  and  in  1771  he  tossed 
aside  his  ledgers  and  day  books  to  accept  a  commission 
in  a  regiment  bound  for  America.  There  was  an 
affecting  scene  when  he  parted  from  Miss  Sneyd  and 
she  gave  him  her  portrait  as  a  souvenir.  He  ph'ghted 
his  troth  anew  and  promised  that  the  picture  should 
never  part  from  him  under  any  circumstances  —  a 
promise  that  was  kept  with  pathetic  fidelity. 

Before  he  had  been  in  America  long  Andre,  by 
reason  of  his  courage  and  intelligence,  rose  to  the  posi- 
tion of  aide-de-camp  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  command- 
er-in-chief of  the  British  forces.  It  was  at  this  junc- 
ture that  Benedict  Arnold,  smarting  under  supposed 
wrongs,  made  a  proposition  to  the  British  to  betray  to 
them  the  post  at  West  Point,  of  which  he  was  in  com- 
mand. It  was  regarded  as  the  key  to  the  American 
position  and  General  Clinton  designated  Major  Andre 
as  the  man  to  conduct  the  negotiations  wuth  the  traitor 
Arnold.  The  importance  of  this  position  was  equaled 
by  its  danger. 

The  conspiracy  between  Arnold  and  Andre  had  been 
carried  on  by  means  of  correspondence  for  quite  a 
while.  They  wrote  under  fictitious  names,  and  natu- 
rally the  greatest  secrecy  was  observed.  But  finally 
the  time  came  w^hen  it  was  necessary  to  hold  a  personal 
meeting  in  order  to  bring  the  treason  to  a  head. 
Major  Andre  at  that  time  held  the  position  of  adjutant 
general  in  the  British  army,  and  it  was  at  Arnold's 
request  that  he  was  detailed  to  meet  the  traitorous  gen- 
eral for  the  purpose  of  settling  all  the  details.  On  the 
20th  of  September,   1780,  Andre  went  on  board  the 


MAJOR  ANDRE'S  EXPLOIT        65 

British  sloop  of  war  Vulture  with  Colonel  Beverly- 
Robinson,  and  proceeded  up  the  Hudson  with  a  view 
of  holding  an  interview  with  Arnold.  There  is  a 
strong  feeling,  or  at  least  circumstantial  evidence, 
which  indicates  that  Robinson  was  partially  responsible 
for  bringing  Arnold  to  the  state  of  mind  where  he  was 
willing  to  sacrifice  his  country  in  order  to  satisfy  his 
own  wounded  vanity.  At  all  events,  they  made  the 
trip  together  and  on  the  night  of  the  21st  a  boat  was 
sent  by  Arnold  to  the  Vulture  which  brought  Andre  to 
the  shore  about  six  miles  below  Stony  Point. 

In  a  secluded  spot  and  after  midnight  the  conspira- 
tors met  and  prepared  the  plans  by  which  the  American 
cause  was  to  be  betrayed.  Daylight  appeared  and  still 
the  conference  went  on.  It  was  suggested  that  it 
would  be  desirable  to  have  breakfast,  and  at  Arnold's 
invitation  Andre  consented  to  accompany  him  to  the 
house  of  Joshua  Smith,  which  was  about  two  miles 
below  the  meeting  place.  They  sat  there  for  a  long 
time  and  presently  the  booming  of  cannon  was  heard 
and  they  saw  that  the  Vulture  had  weighed  anchor  and 
was  proceeding  down  the  river.  This  was  due  to  the 
fact  that  Colonel  Livingston  of  the  American  army 
thought  that  she  was  too  near  the  American  outposts, 
and  with  characteristic  promptness  he  brought  cannon 
to  bear  on  the  vessel  and  compelled  her  to  descend  the 
river. 

This  interfered  seriously  with  the  scheme  that  had 
been  agreed  upon  between  the  Englishman  and  the 
American.  Plans  of  the  American  works,  their  arma- 
ment, the  number  of  troops  they  contained  and  other 


66     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

important  details  were  handed  by  Arnold  to  Andre. 
To  make  sure  that  he  should  not  lose  the  precious 
papers  Major  Andre  took  off  his  boots  and  placed  the 
documents  between  his  stockings  and  his  feet.  As  it 
was  evident  that  Andre  would  not  be  able  to  reach  the 
Fulture  Arnold  furnished  him  with  a  horse  and  gave 
him  a  pass  which  directed  the  guards  to  permit  him 
to  go  where  he  pleased  on  the  ground  that  he  was 
engaged  in  public  business.  A  similar  pass  was  given 
to  Joshua  Smith  who  had  acted  as  host  to  the  spy  and 
the  traitor.  Major  Andre  passed  the  entire  day  at 
Smith's  house  in  the  hope  and  expectation  of  being  able 
to  get  aboard  the  Vulture  at  night,  but  when  evening 
arrived  Smith  became  frightened  and  declined  to  row 
out  to  the  Vulture.  He  proposed  instead  to  cross  the 
river  with  Andre  and  then  see  that  he  was  put  on  the 
road  by  which  he  might  return  to  New  York.  The 
Englishman  was  greatly  disappointed,  but  was  finally 
induced  to  throw  Smith's  overcoat  over  his  uniform, 
and  shortly  before  dusk  they  started  to  go  across  at 
Kings  Ferry.  They  succeeded  in  making  about  eight 
miles  on  the  other  side  when  they  were  stopped  by  an 
American  sentinel.  Arnold's  pass  satisfied  the  officer 
in  command  but  he  warned  them  against  proceeding 
any  farther  at  night. 

They  remained  at  a  farmhouse  until  morning  and  by 
that  time  had  now  approached  a  portion  of  the  country 
some  thirty  miles  in  extent  which  lay  between  the  lines 
of  the  opposing  armies  and  was  considered  neutral 
ground.  After  proceding  three  miles  farther  toward 
New  York  Andre  and  his  host  breakfasted  at  a  farm- 


MAJOR  ANDRE'S  EXPLOIT        67 

house  and  then  parted.  Smith  returned  home  and 
Andre  continued  on  his  way  to  New  York,  confident 
that  he  was  past  all  danger  and  that  it  was  only  a  ques- 
tion of  time  when  the  treason  of  Arnold  would  be 
completed. 

He  was  going  through  a  wooded  glen  when  he  was 
suddenly  confronted  by  three  men,  the  first  of  whom 
was  clothed  in  a  manner  which  might  suggest  his  con- 
nection with  the  British  army. 

"  Good  morning,"  exclaimed  Andre,  imprudently. 
"  Gentlemen,  I  hope  you  belong  to  our  party." 

"  What  party  ?  "  asked  the  leader  of  the  trio. 

"  The  low^er  party,"  said  Andre,  indicating  the  camp 
of  the  British  army. 

"  We  do,"  said  the  leader,  but  with  a  significant  look 
at  his  companions. 

The  young  Englishman  was  now^  entirely  off  his 
guard  and  declared  himself  to  be  a  British  officer.  He 
said  that  he  had  been  up  the  country  on  most  important 
business  and  must  not  be  detained  on  any  account.  He 
drew  out  his  gold  watch  as  evidence  of  his  statement, 
but  to  his  surprise,  the  foremost  of  the  young  men 
clutched  him  by  the  shoulder  and  exclaimed  : 

"  You  are  our  prisoner !  " 

It  afterwards  became  known  that  the  three  men 
were  farmers  of  the  neighborhood,  their  names  being 
John  Paulding,  Isaac  Van  Wort  and  David  Williams. 
Paulding  happened  by  chance  to  be  wearing  an  overcoat 
that  had  been  left  on  his  place  by  a  British  soldier,  and 
it  was  this  uniform  that  had  misled  Andre. 

The  English  major  was  very  much  exercised  by  this 


68     THE  AVORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

time  and  now  remembered  his  pass.  He  exhibited  the 
paper  that  had  been  given  to  him  by  General  Arnold, 
sa}"ing : 

"  You  see  that  I  am  all  right.  This  pass  permits  me 
to  go  through  the  lines." 

Paulding,  however,  was  convinced  that  there  was 
something  wrong.  He  seized  the  bridle  of  Andre's 
horse  and  compelled  him  to  dismount  and  then  sub- 
jected him  to  a  very  close  search.  They  took  off  his 
boots  and  his  stockings  and  found  the  concealed  papers. 
Paulding  read  them  carefully  and  as  he  came  across  the 
incriminating  words  exclaimed : 

"  My  God,  he  is  a  spy !  " 

The  Englishman  used  all  of  his  persuasive  powers  on 
his  captors,  but  in  vain.  He  offered  them  any  amount 
of  money  if  they  would  release  him,  but  they  refused 
and  conducted  their  prisoner  to  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Jameson,  who  \\as  in  command  of  the  post  at  New 
Castle.  He  in  turn  instantly  sent  the  papers  found  in 
Andre's  possession  by  express  to  General  Washington, 
who  was  then  returning  from  a  visit  to  the  French  at 
Hartford. 

By  a  curious  chain  of  circumstances  Washington 
was  returning  with  the  members  of  his  own  military 
family,  including  General  Lafayette  and  General  Knox. 
On  the  morning  of  the  25th  of  September  he  sent  a 
messenger  to  General  Arnold  saying  that  the  party 
would  breakfast  with  him  on  that  day.  As  they  ap- 
proached Arnold's  headquarters  at  the  Robinson  house 
Washington  turned  aside  from  the  direct  route  in  order 
to  visit  the  defenses  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson. 


MAJOR  ANDRE'S  EXPLOIT        69 

Lafayette,  with  the  proverbial  poHteness  of  the  French, 
suggested  that  JMrs.  Arnold  would  be  waiting  breakfast 
for  them. 

"  Ah,"  replied  Washington,  "  you  young  men  are  all 
in  love  with  Mrs.  Arnold.  I  see  that  you  are  eager  to 
be  with  her  as  soon  as  possible.  Go  and  breakfast  with 
her  and  tell  her  not  to  wait  for  me.  I  must  ride  down 
and  examine  the  redoubts  on  this  side  of  the  river.  I 
will  be  with  you  shortly." 

His  request  was  complied  with.  Lafayette  and  his 
friends  found  Mrs.  Arnold  —  who  was  the  famous 
Peggy  Shippen  —  as  usual,  bright,  gay  and  fascinat- 
ing. Arnold  himself  w  as  strangely  grave  and  thought- 
ful. In  the  very  midst  of  the  breakfast  a  horseman 
galloped  to  the  door  and  gave  a  letter  to  Arnold,  which 
stated  that  Andre  was  a  prisoner  and  that  the  papers 
found  in  his  boots  had  been  forwarded  to  General 
Washington.  Arnold  was  compelled  to  act  quickly  in 
this  crisis  and  he  gave  remarkable  evidence  of  quick- 
ness of  mind. 

"  Gentlemen,"  he  said  to  his  guests,  "  I  am  com- 
pelled to  leave  you  for  a  time  and  hope  that  I  may  be 
excused." 

From  the  breakfast  room  he  hurried  to  Mrs. 
Arnold's  apartments,  and  when  she  came  to  him  in 
response  to  his  summons  explained  his  position,  saying : 
"  I  must  fly  instantly.  ^My  life  depends  on  my  reach- 
in^  the  British  lines  without  detection." 

It  was  perhaps  a  few  hours  after  this  that  the  letters 
and  papers  which  told  the  story  of  Arnold's  perfidy 
were  handed  to  Washington.     Washington  read  them 


70     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

calmly  and,  calling  Lafayette  and  Knox,  told  them  the 
story,  adding  sadly : 

"  Who  can  we  trust  now?  " 

Hot  on  the  heels  of  this  came  one  from  Major  Andre 
explaining  his  position  and  saying  that  he  had  been 
betrayed  into  the  vile  condition  of  an  enemy  in  dis- 
guise within  the  American  posts.  He  asked  that  in 
any  rigor  policy  might  dictate  he  should  not  be  branded 
with  anything  dishonorable,  as  he  considered  himself  a 
messenger  in  the  service  of  the  king  and  not  an  invol- 
untary impostor.  He  said  that  he  wrote  to  vindicate 
his  fame  and  not  to  solicit  security.  To  this  letter 
Washington  made  no  reply. 

On  the  26th  of  September  Major  Tallmadge,  having 
Andre  in  custody,  arrived  at  the  Robinson  house. 
General  Washington  declined  to  see  the  prisoner  but 
gave  orders  that  he  should  be  treated  with  every  cour- 
tesy and  civility  consistent  with  his  absolute  se- 
curity. 

The  charming  personality  of  the  prisoner  won  for 
him  the  personal  regard  of  all  with  whom  he  was 
brought  into  contact.  His  immediate  jailor  said  that 
it  often  drew  tears  from  his  eyes  to  find  Andre  so 
agreeable  in  conversation  on  different  subjects  while 
he  —  the  American  officer  —  was  reflecting  on  the 
future  fate  of  the  young  Englishman. 

While  Tallmadge  was  on  the  way  with  Andre  to  the 
American  headquarters  their  conversation  became  very 
frank  and  their  relations  friendly.  Presently  Andre 
asked  Tallmadge  with  what  light  he  would  be  regarded 
by  General  Washington  at  a  military  tribunal.     The 


MAJOR  ANDRE'S  EXPLOIT        71 

American  hesitated,  but  when  Andre  repeated  the  ques- 
tion he  said : 

"  I  had  a  much  lo\ed  chum  in  Yale  College  by  the 
name  of  Nathan  Hale,  who  entered  the  army  in  1775. 
Immediately  before  the  battle  of  Long  Island  Gen- 
eral Washington  wanted  information  respecting  the 
strength,  position  and  probable  movements  of  the 
enemy.  Captain  Hale  volunteered  his  services,  went 
over  to  Brooklyn  and  was  taken  just  as  he  was  passing 
the  outposts  of  the  enemy  on  his  return.  Do  you 
remember  the  sequel  of  the  story?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Andre,  in  a  low  voice  that  was  tremu- 
lous with  emotion.  "  He  was  hanged  as  a  spy.  But 
you  surely  do  not  consider  his  case  and  mine  alike." 

"  Yes,  precisely  similar,"  said  Major  Tallmadge, 
"  and  your  fate  will  be  a  similar  one." 

Washington  in  the  meantime  had  received  a  number 
of  communications  from  General  Clinton  concerning 
the  case  of  Major  Andre.  Clinton,  Arnold  and  Rob- 
inson conferred  together  as  to  the  means  of  obtaining 
the  release  of  Andre.  Arnold  wrote  a  letter  to  Clin- 
ton assuming  the  responsibility  for  Andre's  conduct, 
declaring  that  he  came  to  him  under  the  protection  of 
a  flag  of  truce,  and  that  he  gave  him  passports  to  go  to 
White  Plains  on  his  return  to  New  York.  This  im- 
pertinent letter  from  the  traitor,  enclosed  in  one  from 
himself,  Clinton  forwarded  to  Washington,  claiming 
that  Andre  should  be  permitted  to  return  to  New^  Y^ork. 

As  might  be  expected,  these  letters  had  no  influence 
upon  the  action  of  Washington.  He  referred  the  case 
of  the  prisoner  to  a  board  of  general  officers,  which  he 


72     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

ordered  to  meet  on  the  29th  of  September,  1780,  and 
directed  that  after  a  careful  examination  this  board 
should  report  their  opinion  "  of  the  light  in  which 
Major  Andre  should  be  considered  and  the  punishment 
that  ought  to  be  inflicted."  This  board  consisted  of 
six  major  generals  and  eight  brigadier  generals,  who 
went  into  the  case  with  unusual  care. 

When  Major  Andre  was  brought  before  the  board 
of  officers  he  met  with  every  indulgence,  and  was 
requested  to  answer  no  questions  which  would  even 
embarrass  his  feelings.  He  frankly  confessed  all  the 
facts  relating  to  himself.  Indeed,  the  facts  were  not 
controverted,  and  the  board  reported  that  Andre  ought 
to  be  considered  as  a  spy,  and,  agreeable  to  the  usages 
of  nations,  must  suffer  death.  Andre  met  the  result 
with  manly  firmness. 

"  I  foresaw  my  fate,"  said  he,  "  and  though  I  do  not 
pretend  to  play  the  hero  or  to  be  indifferent  about  life, 
yet  I  am  reconciled  to  whatever  may  happen,  conscious 
that  misfortune  and  not  guilt  has  brought  it  upon 
me. 

The  execution  was  to  have  taken  place  on  the  ist  of 
October  at  five  o'clock  in  the  evening,  but  Washington 
received  a  second  letter  from  Clinton  expressing  the 
opinion  that  the  board  had  not  been  rightly  informed  of 
all  tlie  circumstances  on  which  a  judgment  ought  to  be 
formed  and  adding,  "  T  think  it  of  the  highest  moment 
to  humanity  that  your  Excellency  should  be  perfectly 
appraised  of  the  state  of  this  matter  before  you  pro- 
ceed to  put  that  judgment  into  execution." 

Accordingly  he  sent  three  of  his  staff  officers  to  give 


MAJOR  ANDRE'S  EXPLOIT        73 

Washington,  as  he  declared,  the  true  state  of  the  facts. 
These  gentlemen  came  accompanied  by  Colonel  Beverly 
Robinson.  General  Greene  on  the  part  of  Washington 
met  the  party  and  after  a  long  conference  left  to  report 
to  Washington  all  that  had  been  urged  in  behalf  of 
Andre.  Later  General  Greene  sent  a  note  to  Colonel 
Robinson  informing  him  that  he  had  made  as  full  a 
report  of  their  conference  as  his  memory  would  permit, 
but  that  it  had  made  no  alteration  in  the  opinion  and 
determination  of  Washington. 

Andre  died  possessing  the  sympathy  of  his  judges 
and  the  friendship  of  all  the  American  officers  with 
whom  he  had  been  brought  into  familiar  intercourse. 
Both  Tallmadge  and  Hamilton  expressed  for  him  an 
attachment  almost  passionate.  He  died  in  the  full 
uniform  of  his  rank  in  the  British  army.  A  letter 
from  Andre  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton  expressed  gratitude 
for  his  kindness  and  commended  to  his  consideration 
his  mother  and  sister  and  excusing  his  commander 
from  all  responsibility  for  his  fate,  saying  among  other 
things,  "  I  have  obtained  General  Washington's  permis- 
sion to  send  you  this  letter,  the  object  of  which  is  to 
remove  from  your  breast  any  suspicion  that  I  should 
imagine  that  I  was  bound  by  your  Excellency's  orders 
to  expose  myself  to  what  has  happened.  The  events 
of  coming  within  an  enemy's  lines  and  of  changing  my 
dress,  which  led  me  to  my  present  situation,  were  con- 
trary to  my  own  intentions  as  they  were  to  your  orders, 
and  the  circuitous  route  upon  which  I  took  to  return 
was  pressed,  perhaps  unavoidably  and  without  alter- 
native, upon  me.     I  am  perfectly  tranquil  in  mind  and 


74     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

prepared  for  any  fate  to  which  an  honest  zeal  for  my 
king's  service  may  have  conducted  me." 

On  the  loth  of  August,  182 1,  the  remains  of  Andre 
were  removed  from  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  to  West- 
minster Abbey  and  interred  there  near  the  monu- 
ment which  had  long  been  erected  to  his  memory.  In 
the  south  aisle  near  the  window  and  surrounded  by 
many  great  names  is  his  monument  on  which  is  in- 
scribed : 

"  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Major  John  Andre,  who  rose  by  his 
merits  at  an  early  period  of  Hfe  to  the  rank  of  Adjutant  General 
of  the  British  forces  in  America;  and  employed  in  an  important 
but  hazardous  enterprise,  fell  a  sacrifice  to  his  zeal  for  his  king 
and  country,  on  the  Second  of  October,  1780.  Age  29.  Univer- 
sally beloved  and  esteemed  by  the  army  in  which  he  served  and 
lamented  even  by  his  foes. 

"  His  Grace  and  Sovereign,  King  George  III,  has  caused  this 
monument  to  be  erected." 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  Andre  never  ceased  in 
his  affection  for  Honora  Sneyd.  He  kept  his  pledge 
to  be  faithful  to  her  always.  His  letters  are  full  of  the 
hopes  and  expectations  of  ambitious  young  manhood. 
While  in  New  York  with  Sir  Henry  Clinton  he  was  a 
great  social  favorite.  Many  proud  young  women, 
especially  among  the  Tories,  would  have  been  glad  of 
a  matrimonial  alliance  with  the  handsome  young  aide- 
de-camp.  Andre  was  human  enough  to  appreciate  and 
enjoy  all  of  this  flattery,  but  his  heart  was  true  to  the 
girl  he  met  in  Litchfield.  When  the  three  farmers 
arrested  him  they  stripped  him  —  as  they  thought  — 
of  all  he  possessed,  but  he  managed  to  keep  the  portrait 
of  Miss  Sneyd,  which  he  always  carried  about  his  per- 


MAJOR  ANDRE'S  EXPLOIT        75 

son,  by  concealing  it  in  his  mouth.     He  thought  of  her 
to  the  last. 

And  the  pathos  of  it  all  lay  in  the  fact  that  he  expired 
in  ignorance  of  the  fact  that  she  had  died  in  London, 
two  months  before. 


VI 


THE  STRANGE  ADVENTURES  OF  THE 

CHEVALIER  D'EON  AT  THE 

RUSSIAN  COURT 


VI 

THE  STRANGE  ADVENTURES  OF  THE 

CHEVALIER  D'EON  AT  THE 

RUSSIAN  COURT 

THE  Chevalier  D'Eon  was  not  a  military  spy  in 
the  ordinary  sense  of  the  term,  but  his  secret 
mission  to  the  Russian  Court,  in  the  disguise  of 
a  woman,  was  the  direct  means  of  reestablishing  diplo- 
matic relations  between  Russia  and  France  and  of  pre- 
venting England  from  obtaining  the  services  of  60,000 
Russian  soldiers  to  be  used  whenever  the  emergency 
might  require  them. 

Charles  Genevieve  Louis  Auguste  Andre  Timothee 
D'Eon  de  Beaumont  was  the  full  name  of  this  curious 
character  who  took  part  in  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
adventures  in  the  history  of  war,  politics  or  diplomacy. 

Before  he  appeared  on  the  scene  Chancellor  Bestuz- 
hev  of  the  Russian  Ministry  and  the  English  and  Aus- 
trian Ambassadors  had  been  engaged  in  a  long  and  per- 
plexing negotiation  which  was  expected  to  end  in  a 
new  treaty  between  Russia  and  England.  His  English 
Majesty,  King  George  II,  was  haunted  by  the  fear  that 
France  and  Prussia  had  designs  on  Hanover.  To  pre- 
vent this  he  wished  to  make  an  alliance  against  these 
countries  with  Russia  and  Austria.  Empress  Eliza- 
beth of  Russia  did  not  display  much  interest  in  the 

79 


80     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

proposition,  but  her  Chancellor,  Bestuzhev,  was  eager 
to  consummate  the  plan  because  he  had  no  love  for  the 
King  of  Prussia  and  believed  that  any  extensions  of 
that  monarch's  kingdom  would  be  detrimental  to 
Russia. 

Bestuzhev's  scheme  was  to  raise  60,000  recruits  who 
were  to  be  placed  at  the  service  of  England  in  return 
for  a  subsidy  which  was  placed  at  five  hundred  thou- 
sand pounds.  This  was  in  January,  1755  ;  but  between 
the  desire  of  the  English  cabinet  to  reduce  the  amount 
of  the  subsidy  and  the  indifference  of  the  Russian 
Empress,  the  affair  dragged  along  for  many  months. 
Indeed,  the  patience  of  the  English  ambassador  —  Guy 
Dickens  —  was  so  sorely  tried  that  he  resigned  in  a 
huff  and  was  succeeded  by  Sir  Charles  Hanbury  Wil- 
liams, one  of  the  most  notable  men  of  the  period,  w'ho 
determined  to  distinguish  himself  by  bringing  about 
the  alliance  which  his  predecessor  at  St.  Petersburg 
had  failed  to  accomplish. 

Lord  Holderness,  the  English  Foreign  Secretary, 
gave  the  new  Ambassador  to  Russia  minute  directions 
concerning  what  he  was  expected  to  do  at  St.  Peters- 
burg. In  a  letter  dated  April  11,  1755,  he  said  among 
other  things :  "  On  this  occasion  it  will  be  proper  to 
convince  the  Russians  that  they  will  remain  only  an 
Asiatic  power  if  they  sit  still  and  give  the  King  of 
Prussia  an  opportunity  of  putting  into  execution  his 
ambitious,  dangerous  and  long-concerted  schemes  of 
aggrandizement.  His  Majesty  has  authorized  you,  by 
your  full  powers  and  instructions,  to  do  what  may  be 
necessary  for  preventing  such  a  calamity." 


THE  CHEVALIER  D'EON  81 

The  new  Ambassador  went  to  work  with  great 
energy  and  if  the  private  letters  and  memoirs  of  the 
time  are  to  be  credited  he  soon  found  that  he  was 
engaged  in  a  most  expensive  undertaking.  Nearly 
everybody  about  the  Russian  Court  wanted  money  and 
wanted  it  badly.  Ten  thousand  pounds,  it  is  stated, 
besides  "  the  usual  diplomatic  presents  "  were  given  to 
the  Chancellor.  "  An  extraordinary  gift  "  was  made 
to  the  Vice-Chancellor.  After  that  the  Secretary  to 
the  Cabinet  had  to  be  considered  and  a  letter  to  Lon- 
don said  that  this  person  could  be  obtained  "  for  fifteen 
hundred  ducats  ready  money,  and  five  hundred  per 
annum  pension."  But  the  money  grabbers  did  not 
end  here,  for  the  bribery  continued  all  along  the  line. 

As  a  climax  to  this  wholesale  palm  greasing,  a  con- 
vention w^as  signed  on  the  9th  of  August,  1755,  the 
chief  feature  of  which  was  that  Russia's  aid  to  England 
should  extend  to  all  the  allies  of  King  George  and 
that  on  the  first  demand  for  help  from  England,  Russia 
would  march  30,000  men  against  Prussia.  This 
arrangement  was  to  be  ratified  two  months  from  the 
date  of  signing,  but  in  the  meantime  was  not  to  be 
binding. 

Such  were  the  methods  of  diplomacy  160  years  ago! 
Is  it  surprising  that  the  word  at  that  time  should  come 
to  have  a  shady  meaning? 

But  unexpectedly  an  obstacle  arose.  Louis  XV  of 
France  wished  to  renew  diplomatic  intercourse  with 
the  Court  of  Elizabeth.  The  Empress  was  favorable 
to  this  but  her  ministers  knew  that  if  it  were  accom- 
plished the  new  treaty  with  England  would  be  "  merely 


82     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

a  scrap  of  paper  "  —  that  it  would  be  consigned  to  the 
waste  basket. 

Every  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  French  authorities 
to  communicate  with  her  was  frustrated.  Presently  a 
Frenchman,  the  Chevalier  de  Valcroissant,  appeared  in 
St.  Petersburg.  His  mission  was  to  ascertain  the  feel- 
ings of  the  Russian  Court  toward  the  French  monarch. 
He  found  out  sooner  than  he  expected,  and  in  a  way  he 
did  not  relish.  Charged  with  being  a  spy,  he  was 
arrested  and  shut  in  the  fortress  of  Schlosselburg. 
Louis  XV  was  furious  but  helpless.  France  did  not 
have  the  power  to  protest  against  this  proceeding 
because  Valcroissant  was  not  an  accredited  agent ;  he 
had  only  been  sent  as  a  private  emissary  to  get  the  lay 
of  the  land. 

Louis  XV  was  not  the  sort  of  a  man  to  abandon  an 
enterprise.  He  considered  how  he  could  penetrate  the 
barrier  of  diplomats  and  spies  who  were  surrounding 
the  Empress  Elizabeth.  And  suddenly  he  thought  of 
the  man  to  accomplish  this  seemingly  impossible  feat. 

It  was  the  Chevalier  D'Eon. 

This  talented  young  man,  who  had  written  a  pam- 
phlet on  the  financial  condition  of  France  under  Louis 
XIV,  had  gained  the  friendship  of  the  king  and  was  in 
the  Secret  Service  of  his  country.  He  had  distin- 
guished himself  as  a  soldier  at  an  early  age,  and  was 
noted  for  the  success  with  which  he  had  performed 
several  confidential  missions. 

It  was  decided  that  he  should  go  to  Russia  with  the 
Chevalier  Douglass,  and  that  he  should  go  in  female 
attire.     Douglass  was  to  leave  France  quietly  on  the 


THE   CHEVALIER   D  EON 


THE  CHEVALIER  D'EON  83 

pretext  of  traveling  for  his  health  and  his  supposed 
woman  companion  was  to  be  represented  as  his  niece. 
Above  all  he  was  not  to  have  any  comnmnication  with 
any  French  officials  whether  in  France  or  during  the 
course  of  his  travels. 

His  instructions  were  given  in  great  detail.  He  was 
to  enter  Germany  though  Sweden,  and  to  pass  into 
Bohemia  on  the  plea  of  examining  its  mines.  On 
reaching  St.  Petersburg  he  was  directed  to  make  the 
acquaintance  of  any  persons  who  might  be  able  to  help 
him  in  his  enterprise.  Among  other  things  he  had 
orders  to  ascertain  the  influence  which  was  exerted  over 
Elizabeth  by  her  favorites  and  to  send  this  information 
from  time  to  time  to  Louis  XV.  No  letters  were  to  be 
posted  in  the  ordinary  way,  but  all  negotiations  were  to 
be  reported  by  means  of  a  cipher  code  which  was  to 
be  forwarded  to  private  addresses  in  Paris. 

The  Chevalier  D'Eon  entered  into  the  affair  with 
much  enthusiasm.  His  appearance  easily  lent  itself  to 
the  disguise  of  a  female.  He  was  small  and  slight 
and  had  a  pink  and  wdiite  complexion  and  his  expres- 
sion was  gentle.  A  sweet  voice  helped  to  make  his 
disguise  complete.  This  exploit  of  the  notorious 
adventurer  afterwards  gave  him  an  unwelcome  fame 
which  he  was  never  able  to  live  down,  although  history 
proves  that  he  was  a  brave  soldier  and  had  many  manly 
qualifications.  His  defense  for  the  remarkable  esca- 
pade was  love  of  country,  a  taste  for  adventure  and  the 
fact  that  a  spy  must  do  many  things  that  would  be  dis- 
tasteful to  a  soldier. 

Before  D'Eon  left  Paris  he  was  given  a  copy  of  a 


84     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

French  novel,  which  had  concealed  between  the  boards 
of  its  binding  a  letter  from  Louis  XV  to  the  Empress 
Elizabeth,  It  also  contained  a  cipher  which  the  Em- 
press and  her  Vice  Chancellor  WoronzofT  were  to  use 
in  corresponding  with  the  French  king.  It  is  a  signifi- 
cant fact  that  this  volume  never  left  the  possession  of 
the  young  adventurer.  He  read  it  on  all  occasions  — 
in  his  room  at  hotels  and  even  while  he  waited  for  an 
audience  with  the  officials  of  the  Russian  Court.  Is  it 
any  wonder  that  he  gained  the  reputation  of  being  an 
omnivorous  novel  reader? 

The  little  drama  began  when  the  Chevalier  Douglass 
arrived  at  Anhalt  and  stopped  at  one  of  the  hotels  to 
await  the  arrival  of  his  delightful  niece.  She  arrived 
in  due  time,  did  Mademoiselle  Lia  de  Beaumont,  and 
made  an  immediate  and  favorable  impression  on  all 
with  whom  she  came  in  contact.  Such  charm !  Such 
shyness !  Such  modesty  and  at  the  same  time  such 
sprightliness !  Is  it  any  wonder  that  Douglass  and  his 
young  relati^•e  at  once  gained  the  attention  of  the  best 
society  of  the  place?  They  were  pressed  to  make  a 
long  stay  at  Anhalt,  but  declined  on  the  ground  that  it 
was  necessary  to  proceed  to  the  capital. 

In  St.  Petersburg  they  stayed  at  the  house  of  Mon- 
sieur Michael,  the  French  banker,  who  was  a  man  of 
eminence  in  the  Russian  city.  One  of  the  first  persons 
to  meet  Douglass  was  the  Austrian  Ambassador.  He 
was  curious  about  the  new  arrivals. 

"  What  are  you  doing  in  this  country?  "  he  asked. 

The  wily  courier  of  the  king  was  seized  with  a  fit  of 
coughing  and  at  its  conclusion  replied : 
f 


THE  CHEVALIER  D'EON  85 

"  I  am  here  by  the  advice  of  my  physician,  in  order 
to  get  the  benefit  of  a  cold  chmate." 

All  the  while  the  real  purposes  of  Chevalier  Douglass 
were  in  microscopic  characters  on  the  sheet  of  thin 
paper  concealed  in  the  false  bottom  of  a  tortoise  shell 
snuff  box.  Every  time  he  took  a  pinch  of  snuff  he 
thought  of  his  mission.  Also  he  was  sure  that  if  he 
should  be  suspected  and  searched  that  the  snuff  box 
would  escape  attention  and  confiscation.  But  as  the 
days  went  by  the  charming  niece  was  seized  with  a 
desire  to  see  the  Empress,  not  in  a  public,  but  in  a  pri- 
vate audience. 

How  was  this  to  be  accomplished? 

The  Erench  banker  who  was  acting  as  host  to  the 
queer  couple  was  acquainted  with  the  Vice  Chancellor, 
who  had  no  love  for  the  Chancellor.  So  he  invited  the 
first  named  personage  to  his  house  to  meet  Douglass 
and  his  "  adorable  niece."  The  Vice  Chancellor  was 
delighted  with  the  newcomers  and  readily  agreed  to 
present  the  niece  privately  to  the  Empress. 

The  meeting  took  place  in  one  of  the  large  rooms  of 
the  palace  and  as  soon  as  they  were  alone  the  fascinat- 
ing young  woman  exclaimed : 

"  Your  Majesty,  I  am  not  what  I  seem.  I  am  the 
Chevalier  D'Eon  sent  to  you  as  the  special  messenger 
of  Louis  XV.  It  was  necessary  to  come  to  you  in 
this  guise  to  outwit  your  court  officers  who  were  de- 
termined that  no  message  from  the  King  should  reach 
you." 

At  first  amazed,  the  Empress  afterwards  felt  flat- 
tered    that     such     extraordinary     means     should     be 


86    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

employed  to  obtain  her  attention,  and  she  made  the 
supposed  female  sit  down  and  tell  her  the  story  of  how 
the  ruse  had  been  planned  and  executed.  After  that 
D'Eon  told  of  the  desire  of  the  King  to  resume  diplo- 
matic relations  with  the  Russian  Court.  Her  Majesty 
was  greatly  flattered.  The  manner  in  which  she  had 
been  approached  appealed  to  her  imagination,  and  she 
agreed  that  the  deception  of  her  ministers  should  be 
continued.  In  order  that  the  scheme  might  be  facili- 
tated, she  appointed  D'Epn  her  reader,  w^hich  not  only 
gave  him  a  reason  for  being  about  the  Court,  but  also 
furnished  him  with  ready  access  to  her  at  all  times. 

In  a  very  short  time  she  gave  him  a  written  state- 
ment in  which  she  expressed  a  willingness  to  receive 
and  to  accord  ''  respectful  treatment  for  any  envoy  of 
the  King  of  France  who  would  bring  with  him  suffi- 
cient powers  to  sign  a  treaty."  With  this  precious 
paper  in  his  posession  Douglass  hastened  to  Paris  to 
give  it  to  the  King.  D'Eon,  in  the  meantime,  remained 
in  St.  Petersburg  in  order  to  see  that  there  were  no 
unexpected  developments  that  would  militate  against 
King  Louis  XV.  There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  it 
was  the  secret  influence  which  Douglass  and  D'Eon  had 
with  the  Empress  which  led  her  to  neglect  the  treaty 
with  England  which  the  Chancellor  had  fully  expected 
her  to  sign. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say,"  writes  the  English  Ambassa- 
dor to  Lord  Holderness.  "  that  it  is  impossible  for  the 
Qiancellor  to  get  her  Majesty  to  put  her  signature  to 
the  treaty  which  we  so  much  desire.  He  appears  to  be 
very  much  in  awe  of  her,"     Little  did  the  diplomats 


THE  CHEVALIER  D'EON  87 

suspect  that  their  carefully  laid  plans  had  been  upset 
by  the  "  charming  niece  "  of  the  Chevalier  Douglass. 

In  the  meantime  other  events  were  occurring  in  other 
parts  of  the  world  which  served  to  make  still  further 
impossible  the  thing  which  England  had  so  ardently 
desired.  King  George  had  become  alarmed  over  the 
unexpected  delay  and  entered  into  a  defensive  alliance 
with  the  King  of  Prussia.  By  this  the  Prussian  mon- 
arch agreed  to  defend  Hanover.  This  treaty  was 
signed  at  Westminster  on  January  i6,  1756.  The 
news  was  sent  to  the  English  Ambassador  at  St. 
Petersburg,  who  promptly  communicated  it  to  the 
Chancellor  Bestuzhev. 

That  aged,  if  not  venerable,  diplomat  swore  vio- 
lently. And  little  wonder,  for  it  meant  that  his  long- 
sought  scheme  to  humiliate  Frederick  of  Prussia  and  to 
gain  England  as  an  ally,  had  collapsed.  After  he  had 
partially  recovered  his  self-possession  he  exclaimed: 

"  This  union  between  England  and  Prussia  will  be 
bitter  news  to  her  Imperial  IMajesty." 

"  Why  so?  "  replied  the  innocent  English  Ambassa- 
dor. ''  Such  an  alliance  can  offend  no  one  but 
France." 

In  the  meantime  the  treaty  between  England  and 
Russia  was  still  regarded  as  a  desirable  thing  and  Bes- 
tuzhev and  the  English  Ambassador  worked  hard  with 
that  end  in  view. 

The  hint  was  given  that  some  financial  gifts  prom- 
ised by  England  had  not  arrived,  but  the  English  Am- 
bassador assured  the  Russian  Chancellor  that  it  would 
all  be  received  in  due  time  and  that  if  necessary  the 


88    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

promised  sums  would  be  advanced  at  once.  As  a  con- 
sequence of  this  there  was  much  activity  about  the  Rus- 
sian Court.  Finally  the  long  deferred  ratification  took 
place  on  February  4,  1756,  but  there  had  been  slyly 
added  to  the  treaty  a  phrase  stating  that  it  would  be 
valid  only  in  case  the  King  of  Prussia  attacked  the 
dominions  of  his  Majesty,  the  King  of  Great  Britain. 
The  English  Ambassador  strongly  protested  against 
this  clause  because  it  made  his  labor  of  many  months 
and  his  splendid  financial  "  gifts  "  practically  useless, 
but  he  was  obliged  to  accept  the  paper  as  it  stood. 

But  the  worst  was  still  to  come.  When  the  Empress 
became  fully  informed  of  the  treaty  between  Prussia 
and  England  she  was  furious,  and  immediately  de- 
clared that  the  arrangement  just  made  between  her 
own  country  and  England  should  be  declared  void. 
Bestuzhev  was  frantic  at  this  order  which  destroyed 
the  work  wdiich  had  cost  him  so  much  time  and  labor. 
Indeed,  so  far  did  he  go  that  the  Empress  reprimanded 
him  for  his  impertinence. 

The  changed  condition  of  diplomatic  relations  in  the 
world  now  made  it  more  desirable  than  ever  that 
France  should  be  represented  at  the  Russian  Court. 
The  Chevalier  Douglass  was  sent  by  Louis  XV  to  St. 
Petersburg  for  the  second  time.  He  reached  there  in 
April,  1756,  and  was  so  eager  to  present  himself  that 
late  on  the  evening  of  his  arrival  he  called  on  the  Vice 
Chancellor  and  handed  him  a  letter  from  the  French 
King  to  the  Russian  Empress.  The  Vice  Chancellor, 
who  w^as  in  sympathy  with  the  program  of  the  French, 
made  it  a  point  to  present  the  messenger  from  Paris  to 


THE  CHEVALIER  D'EON  89 

the  Empress  that  very  night.  EHzabeth  was  not  very 
well  pleased  that  the  Chevalier  Douglass  should  be  sent 
to  her  Court  as  an  unofficial  agent  instead  of  an  accred- 
ited minister,  but  in  spite  of  this  fact  she  received  him 
graciously  and  listened  to  what  he  had  to  say.  A  few 
days  later  she  sent  for  Douglass  and  gave  him  a  note 
addressed  to  the  French  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs 
in  which  it  was  stated  that  it  would  be  agreeable  to  her 
Imperial  Majesty  if  the  Chevalier  Douglass  was  more 
fully  authorized  or  accredited  as  charge  d'affaires,  so 
that  it  would  be  possible  for  both  sides  to  treat  with 
greater  authority  on  the  matters  included  in  his  instruc- 
tions. She  added  that  this  would  not  only  be  to  the 
mutual  advantage  of  both  courts  but  would  also  tend  to 
hasten  their  reunion  in  a  diplomatic  sense.  It  was  fur- 
ther stated  that  notwithstanding  the  failure  to  make  the 
Chevalier  Douglass  an  accredited  minister  he  would 
be  treated  with  distinction  and  listened  to  with  great 
consideration  as  being  a  person  sent  to  Russia  on  the 
part  of  Louis  XV. 

Shortly  before  this  meeting  between  the  Empress 
and  Douglass,  the  Chevalier  D'Eon  had  returned  to 
Paris,  but  during  his  stay  in  St.  Petersburg  he  had 
won  the  friendship  and  favor  of  the  Empress.  He  had 
on  numerous  occasions  acted  as  her  reader  and  his 
great  knowledge  of  men  and  things  in  all  parts  of  the 
world  had  furnished  her  with  more  than  ordinary 
entertainment.  She  learned  that  he  had  a  real  knowl- 
edge of  art  and  literature  and  also  that  while  living  in 
Paris  he  had  been  in  the  midst  of  many  men  distin- 
guished in  literature,  politics  and  art.     Also  she  had 


90     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

him  recount  to  her  his  early  experiences  as  the  son  of  a 
Tonnere  lawyer  and  the  descendant  of  a  good  family. 
D'Eon  was  not  the  sort  of  a  person  to  boast  of  his  per- 
sonal courage,  but  by  close  questioning  she  learned  that 
he  had  been  engaged  in  many  military  exploits  which 
redounded  to  his  credit. 

As  a  result  of  all  this  she  desired  very  much  that  the 
Chevaliers  Douglass  and  D'Eon  should  be  returned  to 
her  court  as  thoroughly  accredited  representatives  of 
their  Government,  but  while  she  was  working  to  this 
end,  her  Chancellor  and  the  English  Ambassador  were 
doing  all  in  their  power  to  prevent  the  consummation 
desired  by  the  French  king.  Indeed,  the  English  rep- 
resentative still  had  hopes  of  accomplishing  the  task  he 
had  been  instructed  to  perform.  His  only  fear  seems 
to  have  been  that  the  health  of  the  Empress,  which  was 
not  very  good  at  that  time,  might  become  worse  and 
leave  the  matter  suspended,  like  Mohammed's  coffin, 
between  Heaven  and  earth.  The  Court  was  in  what 
might  be  described  as  a  state  of  uproar,  and  Sir  Charles 
Williams,  writing  to  Lord  Holdemess,  says:  "The 
state  of  the  Empress's  health  has  been  extremely  bad. 
On  the  1 6th  instant  there  was  a  ball  at  Court,  and  after 
the  Imperial  Ambassador  of  Austria  was  gone  she  told 
me  she  would  dance  a  minuet  with  me.  As  soon  as  it 
was  over  she  was  so  spent  that  she  retired  into  her 
own  apartments  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  She  then 
returned  into  the  ballroom  and  taking  me  aside  told 
me  in  a  very  affecting  strain  how  ill  she  was.  She 
said  that  her  cough  had  lasted  nine  minutes  and  she 
could  not  get  rid  of  it,  and  that  she  had  quite  lost  her 


THE  CHEVALIER  D'EON  91 

appetite.  While  she  was  telling  me  this  she  was  seized 
with  another  fit  of  coughing  that  obliged  her  to  retire, 
and  she  appeared  no  more." 

In  another  letter  addressed  to  his  superior,  Sir 
Charles  says :  *'  Last  night  the  Empress  was  much 
worse.  She  intends  if  possible,  however,  going  to 
Count  Esterhasy's  ball,  which  he  gives  in  honor  of  the 
young  grand  duke  next  Wednesday,  and  there  is  actu- 
ally a  machine  making  to  carry  her  Majesty  from  one 
floor  to  another  without  obliging  her  to  mount  the 
stairs.  I  leave  your  Lordship  to  imagine  the  alarm 
which  this  Court  it  in.  I  had  much  conversation  last 
night  with  the  Grand  Chancellor  on  the  present  scene. 
He  perhaps  is  less  alarmed  than  other  people,  for  the 
Grand  Duchess  is  his  friend  and  is  governed  by  him. 
As  her  Imperial  Highness  is  the  person  who  in  case  of 
accidents  will  rule  here,  I  think  it  will  be  well  to  inform 
the  King  of  my  observations  upon  her,  which  I  can  the 
better  do  because  I  often  have  conversations  with  her 
for  long  periods,  as'my  rank  places  me  at  supper  always 
next  to  Her  Imperial  Highness,  and  almost  from  the 
beginning  of  my  being  here  she  has  treated  me  with 
confidence,  and  sent  word  by  the  Grand  Chancellor 
that  she  would  do  so." 

But  all  of  the  solicitude  of  the  English  Ambassador 
was  lost.  He  could  not  get  the  Empress  to  agree  to 
the  reopening  of  negotiations  looking  to  the  treaty 
between  the  two  countries.  On  the  contrary  she 
renewed  her  request  to  King  Louis  XV  for  an  official 
representation  of  that  country  at  the  Russian  Court. 
The  Empress's  request  was  given  prompt  considera- 


92     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

tion,  for  in  July  of  the  same  year  the  Chevalier  Doug- 
lass was  accredited  charge  d'affaires  to  the  Russian 
Court,  while  D'Eon,  the  dashing  young  adventurer, 
joined  him,  no  longer  in  woman's  apparel  but  in  the 
handsome  dress  of  a  fashionable  young  man.  He  was 
appointed  and  served  with  great  success  as  Secretary 
of  the  French  Legation  at  the  Russian  Court.  It  is 
very  significant  of  the  waning  influence  of  the  wily 
Chancellor  in  the  esteem  of  the  Empress,  that  he  knew 
nothing  of  the  arrangement  by  which  Douglass  and 
D'Eon  were  sent  to  St.  Petersburg  until  these  two  per- 
sons had  reached  the  frontier  town  of  Riga. 

This  was  an  instance  where  French  shrewdness  got 
the  better  of  English  gold.  Chancellor  Bestuzhev  was 
outwitted  and  outplayed  at  every  stage  of  the  diplo- 
matic game.  He  realized,  when  it  was  too  late,  that 
he  had  been  beaten  by  a  French  spy,  disguised  as  a 
woman,  and  the  recollection  of  it  embittered  the 
remainder  of  his  life. 

There  was  a  dramatic  sequel  to  this  defeat,  which 
fortunately  for  those  concerned,  did  not  have  a  fatal 
ending.  Armed  thugs  entered  the  house  where  Doug- 
lass and  D'Eon  were  sleeping  and,  rushing  into  the 
room,  fired  several  shots  at  the  young  men. 

They  escaped  with  their  lives  and  were  content  to 
regard  the  affair  as  an  ordinary  case  of  housebreaking. 
But  if  either  of  them  had  been  called  upon  to  point 
the  finger  of  suspicion  at  any  one,  it  would  have  been 
straight  in  the  direction  of  Chancellor  Bestuzhev. 


VII 

HOW  NAPOLEON'S  CHIEF  SPY 

HOODWINKED  THE  EMPEROR 

OF  AUSTRIA 


VII 

HOW  NAPOLEON'S  CHIEF  SPY 

HOODWINKED  THE  EMPEROR 

OF  AUSTRIA 

THE  amazing  audacity  of  Charles  Louis  Schul- 
meister  —  Napoleon's  chief  spy  —  was  never 
illustrated  to  better  advantage  than  when  he 
hoodwinked  Francis  II,  Emperor  of  Austria. 

The  episode  really  had  its  inception  on  the  twenty- 
third  of  October,  1805,  when  Napoleon  sent  for  his 
favorite  and  told  him  that  he  wanted  to  know  the  plans 
of  the  Austrian  army.  At  that  time  General  Kontov- 
soff  was  believed  to  be  hurr}ing  westward  with  60,000 
Russians.  It  was  characteristic  of  Schulmeister  that 
he  received  this  commission  as  a  matter  of  course.  He 
had  men  and  money  at  his  disposal  and  was  in  a  posi- 
tion to  command  the  attention  of  the  great.  But  his 
biggest  asset  was  his  fearlessness. 

On  the  day  after  his  interview  with  Napoleon  he 
started  on  the  mission  which  was  to  involve  him  in  the 
most  sensational  events  of  his  checkered  career.  He 
met  his  old  friend  and  confederate,  Lieutenant  Ben- 
del,  at  Muhldorf,  and  by  him  was  presented  to  General 
Kienmayer,  in  command  of  the  Austrian  forces.  He 
was  well  received  as  before  by  this  officer,  who 
regarded  him  as  a  member  of  the  Austrian  Secret  Ser- 

96 


96     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

\ice.  Indeed,  Kienmayer  had  taken  a  liking  to  the 
medium-sized  man  with  the  scarred  forehead  and  was 
glad  to  meet  him  again.  He  little  thought  that  this 
was  the  man  who  had  betrayed  the  Austrian  military 
secrets  and  whq,  more  than  any  one  individual,  was 
responsible  for  the  maneuvers  which  had  resulted  in 
the  surrender  of  Field  Marshal  Mack. 

Schulmeister,  with  his  unwavering  blue  eyes  and  his 
brusque  soldierly  manner,  had  several  talks  with  Kien- 
mayer and  learned  that  the  Austrian  was  not  yet  ready 
to  take  the  offensive.  Also  he  was  given  an  inkling  of 
the  movements  of  General  Kontovsofif.  This  valuable 
information  was  transmitted  to  Napoleon,  who  made 
his  plans  accordingly. 

But  Schulmeister  was  not  satisfied  to  stop  at  this 
stage  of  the  game.  He  had  another  scheme  hatching 
in  his  fertile  mind,  and  presently  he  made  it  known  to 
his  friend  Bendel. 

"  I  want  you  to  get  me  permission  to  wear  the  uni- 
form of  an  Austrian  staff  officer." 

Bendel,  who  had  already  gone  to  great  lengths  to 
serve  the  spy,  gasped  at  the  daring  of  this  latest  request. 

"  But  why  ?  "  he  asked.  "  What  reason  can  be  given 
for  such  a  thing?  " 

The  blue-eyed  one  smiled  grimly.  The  humor  of 
the  business  was  not  lost  on  him. 

"  The  best  reason  in  the  world,"  he  replied.  *'  It  is 
but  a  slight  return  for  all  I  have  done  for  the  Austrian 
army." 

The  things  he  had  done  for  the  Austrian  army,  had 
they  been  known  to  Kienmayer,  would  have  caused 


NAPOLEON'S  CHIEF  SPY         97 

that  officer  to  give  an  order  for  Schulnieister's  execu- 
tion at  sunrise.  Instead  of  that  he  gave  him  permis- 
sion to  wear  the  Austrian  uniform.  The  result  of  this 
was  far-reaching.  It  helped  to  make  history.  In  a 
word,  it  placed  the  Austrian  army  —  or  a  considerable 
section  of  it  —  at  the  mercy  of  the  Alsatian  smuggler. 

Schulmeister  went  to  Vienna,  where  he  proclaimed 
himself  to  be  the  representative  of  General  Kienmayer. 
Vienna,  even  at  that  time,  was  numbered  among  the 
gayest  capitals  of  luirope,  and  the  supposed  secret  ser- 
vice agent  of  the  Austrian  commander  was  received 
with  open  arms  and  treated  with  marked  distincticm. 
He  mingled  with  the  officers  and  was  entertained  at  the 
cafes  and  altogether  made  a  marked  impression  with 
the  people.  His  natural  qualities  helped  him  greatly 
in  this  bold  adventure.  The  scars  on  his  forehead,  his 
apparent  reticence  and  his  military  bearing  all  helped  to 
win  the  confidence  of  those  with  whom  he  was  thrown 
into  contact. 

The  Emperor  Francis  H  was  in  Vienna  at  the  time, 
and  Schulmeister  was  told  that  he  would  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  meeting  him  in  person.  Pie  did  not  shrink 
from  the  ordeal.  Indeed,  he  may  be  said  to  have 
courted  it.  The  Emperor  at  that  time  had  reached  a 
critical  stage  of  his  career.  He  came  into  power  at  a 
time  when  the  French  revolution  was  exciting  the 
alarm  of  most  of  the  old  European  dynasties.  Austria 
was  in  alliance  with  Prussia  against  the  advances  of  the 
new  republic.  In  1795-96,  the  w-ar  between  France 
and  Austria  raged  fiercely  on  German  soil.  In  1796 
Napoleon,  whose  meteoric  career  was  astonishing  the 


98     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

world,  swept  through  northern  Italy  and  the  next  year 
invaded  Austria.  As  a  consequence  of  this,  Francis 
was  compelled  to  sign  the  treaty  of  Campo  Formio,  by 
which  Austria  surrendered  Belgium  and  Lombardy, 
receiving  in  return  most  of  the  dominions  of  the  extinct 
Republic  of  Venice.  Smarting  under  this,  Francis, 
two  years  later,  made  an  alliance  with  Russia  and 
England.  Again  he  took  up  arms  and  at  the  outset 
met  with  a  number  of  successes. 

But  the  recall  of  the  Russian  general  Suvaroff  and 
the  return  of  Napoleon  from  the  East,  turned  the  tide 
against  him.  The  victories  won  by  Bonaparte  at  Ma- 
rengo and  by  Morean  at  Hohenlinden  seriously  crippled 
the  power  of  Austria,  and  Francis  was  reduced  to  the 
necessity  of  suing  for  peace.  By  the  treaty  of  Lune- 
ville  in  1801,  France  was  confirmed  in  the  possession 
of  the  left  bank  of  the  Rhine.  In  1804  Francis 
assumed  the  title  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  and  in 
the  following  year  entered  into  a  new  alliance  with 
Russia.  The  following  year  began  the  contest  with 
Napoleon  which  was  to  end  so  disastrously  for  the 
Austrians.  This  was  the  condition  of  affairs  that 
existed  when  Napoleon's  chief  spy  found  himself  in 
the  Austrian  capital,  clothed  in  the  uniform  of  an  Aus- 
trian officer. 

He  had  not  been  there  long  before  he  learned  that  a 
most  important  council  of  war  was  to  be  held,  at  which 
plans  were  to  be  matured  for  the  purpose  of  checking 
the  aggressions  of  Napoleon.  He  resolved  to  attend 
that  council.  As  before,  he  had  the  aid  of  Lieutenant 
Bendel.     It  was  by  means  of  this  officer  that  he  was 


NAPOLEON'S  CHIEF  SPY         99 

taken  into  the  confidence  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Coun- 
cil and  told  that  he  would  be  admitted  to  its  delibera- 
tions. A  less  audacious  man  would  have  hesitated  to 
attend  such  a  meeting.  Even  Bendel  warned  him  of 
the  danger  he  ran. 

"  You  are  putting  your  head  into  the  lion's  mouth," 
said  he. 

"  It  doesn't  matter,"  he  retorted;  "  the  animal  has  no 
teeth." 

At  the  appointed  hour  Schulmeister  presented  him- 
self at  the  palace,  and  presenting  the  proper  credentials, 
was  admitted.  An  orderly  conducted  him  along  nar- 
row passages  and  up  a  flight  of  stairs  to  a  wide  corridor 
which  led  to  the  conference  chamber.  Lieutenant  Ben- 
del  had  preceded  him  there  and  at  three  knocks  on  the 
door  he  was  ushered  into  the  room.  It  was  a  long, 
high-ceilinged  apartment  with  a  raised  dais  at  the  far 
end. 

It  was  evident,  at  a  glance,  that  this  was  used  as  a 
sort  of  war  office.  Large  maps  were  spread  out  on 
the  walls  and  a  globe  stood  in  the  center  of  the  apart- 
ment. Colored  pins  were  stuck  into  the  maps  to 
indicate  the  positions  of  the  various  armies  then  in  the 
field. 

A  number  of  officers  were  present  and  others  con- 
tinued to  come  until  probably  fifteen  men  were  in  the 
room.  Schulmeister  was  presented  to  them  by  Lieu- 
tenant Bendel,  and  was  greeted,  for  the  most  part,  in  a 
perfunctory  manner.  The  pride-stricken  members  had 
very  little  time  to  give  to  one  who  appeared  to  be  below 
them  in  rank.     One  or  two,  attracted  by  the  report  that 


100    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

the  newcomer  was  a  member  of  the  Austrian  Secret 
Service,  paused  long  enough  to  ask  him  a  few  ques- 
tions concerning  the  character  of  his  work.  He  repHed 
in  a  way  that  satisfied  them  without  committing  him- 
self. Schuhneister  was  at  his  best  in  situations  of 
this  kind.  His  natural  reticence  served  him  well. 
Somehow  he  gave  one  the  impression  of  imparting  a 
great  deal  of  information  in  a  very  few  words. 

At  all  events  he  was  fortunate  in  being  lost  amid  the 
titled  and  gold  lace  of  the  occasion.  A  large  table  was 
placed  in  front  of  the  raised  dais  at  the  end  of  the  room 
and  the  conferees  drew  up  chairs  and  began  a  general 
conversation.  The  Alsatian  spy  managed  to  keep  in 
the  background  and  yet  to  be  in  a  position  to  see  and  to 
hear  all  that  was  taking  place.  In  the  midst  of  the 
talk  there  was  a  flutter  at  the  entrance  to  the  apartment 
and  an  official  voice  called  out : 

"  Gentlemen,  the  King !  " 

Everybody  arose  and  stood  at  attention  while  Fran- 
cis II  rapidly  walked  down  the  center  of  the  room  and 
took  his  place  in  the  big  chair  on  the  raised  platform. 
As  he  sat  down  the  others  resumed  their  places.  The 
monarch  looked  worn  and  worried  and  he  proceeded  to 
the  business  in  hand  in  a  listless  sort  of  style.  Schul- 
meister,  to  his  relief,  was  not  even  noticed  by  the  mon- 
arch, who  was  plainly  preoccupied. 

For  three  quarters  of  an  hour  the  members  of  the 
council  of  war  discussed  their  plans  while  the  spy  of 
Napoleon  drank  in  every  word.  It  was  a  situation 
without  a  parallel,  probably,  in  the  history  of  warfare. 
Spies  have  found  their  way  into  the  councils  of  the 


NAPOLEON'S  CHIEF  SPY        101 

enemy,  but  there  is  no  other  case  on  record  where  the 
sovereign  of  a  great  empire  has  openly  discussed  his 
plans  before  a  spy  from  the  opposing  army.  Presently 
the  affair  came  to  an  end  and  Schulmeister  left  with 
the  others.  He  gave  a  sigh  of  satisfaction  as  he 
breathed  the  free  air  again  and  before  an  hour  passed 
had  sent  an  account  of  the  proceedings  to  Napoleon. 

Some  one  must  have  detected  him  in  the  act  of  relay- 
ing his  messages  —  because  he  had  a  system  of  his 
own  of  getting  his  information  through  the  lines  —  for 
he  began  to  be  regarded  with  suspicion.  He  carried 
himself  with  great  calmness  but  he  was  too  adept  in  the 
art  of  spying  not  to  know-  that  he  was  being  shadowed. 
E\'erywhere  that  he  went  he  w^as  followed  by  Austrian 
officers.  Evidently  they  were  not  sure  of  their  man. 
He  was  suspected,  but  the  proof  was  wanting.  He 
thought  he  might  wear  out  the  patience  of  his  shad- 
owners,  but  he  was  mistaken  in  this. 

Finally  the  situation  became  so  acute  that  he  resolved 
to  fly  for  his  life.  He  left  in  the  middle  of  the  night 
and  managed  to  reach  Moravia.  Here  a  burly  Aus- 
trian staff  officer  pulled  him  out  of  bed  without  any 
ceremony. 

"  You  are  wanted  in  Vienna,"  he  said  gruffly. 

"  But  I  have  been  there."  protested  Schulmeister. 
"  and  now  it  is  most  important  that  I  should  proceed 
on  my  way." 

The  officer  roared  with  laughter. 

"  I  don't  doubt  it.  but  we  wish  to  show  you  some 
attention  at  the  capital." 

Schulmeister  made  a  final  effort.     He  produced  the 


102    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

letters  by  which  he  had  wormed  his  way  into  the  good 
graces  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Council. 

"  Here  are  my  credentials.  What  more  do  you 
wish?" 

"  Nothing,"  roared  the  big  fellow,  as  he  grabbed  the 
letters.  "  These  are  what  we  have  been  hunting. 
They  will  be  put  to  the  test  and  you  will  come  and 
answer  to  the  charge  of  being  a  spy." 

This  was  a  truly  alarming  situation,  but  the  Alsa- 
tian smuggler  carried  himself  with  great  confidence  and 
dignity.  In  his  heart  of  hearts  he  felt  that  he  was  lost. 
His  wonderful  activity  had  made  him  known  to  many 
persons  and  surely  some  of  them  would  appear  against 
him. 

The  court  martial  which  was  called  to  consider  the 
case  of  Schulmeister  met  in  Vienna  and  was  sur- 
rounded with  great  pomp  and  dignity.  The  soldierly 
appearance  of  the  accused  and  his  refusal  to  defend 
himself  aroused  a  great  deal  of  sympathy  in  his  case. 
But  the  weight  of  the  evidence  was  against  him.  It 
was  proven  that  he  had  given  false  information  to 
General  Mack  in  the  Ulm  campaign  and  it  was  shown 
that  he  had  been  in  Vienna  under  false  pretenses. 
After  due  deliberations  the  verdict  was  rendered  and 
it  condemned  him  to  death  as  a  spy. 

Schulmeister  fought  for  time  to  the  last.  He  be- 
lieved that  something  might  happen  to  relieve  him  from 
his  dangerous  position.  The  general  in  command  di- 
rected that  he  should  be  shot  at  sunrise.  The  Alsatian 
betrayed  no  emotion  when  he  heard  the  dreadful 
words.     Indeed,  danger  had  become  so  great  a  part  of 


NAPOLEON'S  CHIEF  SPY        103 

his  everyday  life  that  it  had  no  terrors  for  him.  Death 
in  any  form  did  not  shock  him  —  not  even  when  it  was 
to  be  his  ow^n.  He  called  for  pen,  ink  and  paper  and 
spent  a  long  time  writing  in  his  cell.  It  has  been  said 
that  he  scribbled  reports  which  he  hoped  to  have  smug- 
gled into  the  French  lines.  If  this  be  true  it  proves 
that  Schulmeister  was  as  much  patriot  as  spy.  But 
the  story  rests  on  tradition,  and,  of  course,  is  impos- 
sible of  verification,  by  means  of  documentary  evi- 
dence. 

After  that  he  waited  for  morning.  To  the  ordinary 
man  this  would  have  seemed  a  long  black  night,  Ijut 
there  is  nothing  to  indicate  that  it  caused  the  Alsatian 
any  great  mental  anguish.  His  mind  was  busy  turning 
over  the  possibility  of  escape,  but  otherwise  he  was 
placid  and  self-contained.  He  simply  sat  there  on  his 
low^  wooden  stool  and  w^atched  for  the  sunrise  that  was 
to  be  the  signal  for  his  execution. 

While  Schulmeister  was  going  through  this  thrilling 
experience  Napoleon  was  hammering  at  the  gates  of 
Vienna.  He  had  pursued  the  armies  of  Russia  and 
Austria  from  one  point  to  another,  all  the  time  work- 
ing to  accomplish  his  favorite  maxim,  "  Divide  in 
order  to  subsist;  concentrate  in  order  to  fight."  As 
the  contest  went  along  the  ardor  of  the  Russian  army 
grew  more  intense.  It  advanced  toward  the  position 
long  studied  by  Napoleon  and  w^hich  he  destined  for 
his  field  of  battle.  We  are  told  by  the  historian  Guizot 
that  in  accordance  with  the  plan  of  the  .Austrian  gen- 
eral Weirother,  the  allies  had  resolved  to  turn  the 
right  of  the  French  army  in  order  to  cut  off  the  road 


104    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

to  Vienna  by  assaulting  the  numerous  corps  dispersed 
in  Austria  and  Styria.  Altogether,  the  two  emperors 
and  their  staff  officers  occupied  the  castle  and  village 
of  Austerlitz.  On  the  first  of  December,  1805,  the 
allies  established  themselves  upon  the  plateau  Platzen. 
Napoleon  by  design  had  left  this  free,  divining  with 
a  sure  instinct  of  superior  genius  the  maneuvers  of 
the  enemy  he  had  cleverly  drawn  into  the  snare.  His 
proclamation  to  the  troops  announced  the  plan  of  the 
battle. 

"  Soldiers,"  said  he,  "  the  Russian  army  presents 
itself  before  you  to  avenge  the  Austrian  army  of  Ulm. 
These  are  the  same  battalions  you  have  beaten  at  Hol- 
labrunn  and  that  you  have  constantly  pursued  to  this 
place.  The  positions  that  we  occupy  are  formidable 
and  whilst  they  march  to  turn  my  right  they  will  pre- 
sent me  their  flank. 

"  Soldiers,  I  will  myself  direct  your  battalions.  I 
will  keep  myself  away  from  the  firing  if  with  your 
accustomed  bravery  you  carry  disorder  and  confusion 
into  the  enemy's  ranks.  But  if  the  victory  were  for 
a  moment  uncertain  you  would  see  your  emperor  ex- 
pose himself  to  the  brunt  of  the  attack;  for  this  victory 
will  finish  the  campaign  and  we  shall  be  able  to  resume 
our  winter  quarters  where  we  shall  be  joined  by  new 
armies  which  are  forming  in  France.  Then  the  peace 
I  shall  make  will  be  worthy  of  my  people,  of  you,  and 
of  me." 

It  so  happened  that  this  was  the  eve  of  the  anniver- 
sary of  the  coronation  of  the-  Emperor.  The  soldiers 
in  order  to  celebrate  the  event  gathered  up  the  straw 


NAPOLEON'S  CHIEF  SPY        105 

upon  which  they  were  stretched  and,  making  it  into 
bundles,  they  lit  them  at  the  end  of  poles. 

"  Be  assured,"  said  an  old  grenadier,  advancing  to- 
ward the  chief  who  had  so  many  times  led  his  com- 
rades to  victory,  "  that  we  will  bring  thee  to-morrow 
the  flags  and  cannon  of  the  Russian  army  to  signalize 
the  anniversary  of  the  Second  of  December." 

The  fires  were  extinguished  and  the  Austrians 
thought  they  saw  in  this  the  indication  of  a  night  re- 
treat. Gathered  around  the  map,  the  allied  generals 
listened  to  Weirother,  who  developed  his  plan  of  bat- 
tle with  a  boasting  air  which  displayed  in  him  a  clear 
persuasion  of  his  own  merits.  He  said  to  his  asso- 
ciates : 

"  We  do  not  think  him  strong.  If  he  has  40,000 
men  it  is  all.  He  is  extinguishing  his  fires  and  a  good 
deal  of  noise  is  coming  from  his  camp.  He  is  either 
retreating  or  else  he  is  changing  his  position." 

At  daylight  the  next  morning  the  battle  began.  It 
was  one  of  the  fiercest  in  all  of  the  Napoleonic  wars. 
Murat  and  Lanes  attacked  on  the  left  eighty-two  Rus- 
sian and  Austrian  squadrons  under  the  orders  of 
Prince  John  of  Lichtenstein.  General  Valhubert  had 
his  thigh  fractured  and  the  soldiers  wished  to  carry 
him  away. 

"  Remain  at  your  posts,"  said  he  calmly.  "  1  know 
well  how  to  die  alone.     We  must  not  for  one  man  lose 

SIX. 

Finally  the  tide,  which  comes  in  every  great  battle, 
turned  in  favor  of  the  French.  General  Doctoroff 
and  Kienmayer  effected  a  painful  retreat,  under  the 


106    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

fire  of  the  French  batteries,  by  a  narrow  embankment 
separating  the  two  lakes  of  Melintz  and  Falnitz,  The 
awful  day  came  to  a  close  with  French  shouts  of  vic- 
tory. 

Napoleon,  as  was  customary,  harangued  his  army. 

*'  Soldiers,"  said  he,  "  I  am  satisfied  with  you. 
You  have  justified  all  that  I  expected  from  you.  An 
army  of  100,000  men  commanded  by  the  Emperors  of 
Russia  and  Austria  has  been  in  less  than  four  hours 
either  cut  up  or  dispersed,  and  what  escaped  from  your 
steel  is  drowned  in  the  lakes.  Forty  flags  or  standards 
of  the  Imperial  Guard  of  Russia,  120  pieces  of  cannon, 
20  generals  and  more  than  30,000  prisoners  are  the 
results  of  this  ever  memorable  day.  In  three  months 
this  third  coalition  has  been  vanquished  and  dissolved. 
Soldiers,  when  all  that  is  necessary  in  order  to  assure 
the  happiness  and  prosperity  of  France  shall  be  accom- 
plished, I  will  lead  you  back  into  France.  There  you 
will  be  the  object  of  my  most  tender  solicitude." 

Prior  to  this  the  French  troops  had  pressed  on  into 
Vienna.  A  detachment  hurried  to  the  prison  where 
Charles  Louis  Schulmeister  was  awaiting  his  execu- 
tion. They  arrived  in  the  nick  of  time  and  released 
him  from  what  seemed  to  be  certain  death.  He  was 
calmer  and  more  collected  than  any  one  in  the  crowd. 

"  Frenchmen,"  he  cried,  with  a  mixture  of  irony  and 
joy,  "  I  greet  you.  I  welcome  you  to  the  City  of 
Vienna." 

Schulmeister  was  naturally  one  of  the  heroes  of  the 
day  and  when  Napoleon  went  to  meet  the  Emperor 
Francis  on  the  following  day  he  formed  one  of  the 


NAPOLEON'S  CHIEF  SPY        107 

small  bodyguard  that  accompanied  the  great  soldier. 
The  conference  between  the  two  crowned  heads  took 
place  at  the  mill  of  Paleny,  between  Nasiedlowitz  and 
Urschitz.  The  spy  kept  in  the  background  and  was 
not  observed  by  the  vanquished  monarch. 

Napoleon  treated  his  fallen  foe  with  great  courtesy 
and  made  excuses  for  the  poor  place  in  which  he  was 
compelled  to  receive  Francis  II. 

"  These  are  the  palaces,"  said  he,  "  which  Your 
Majesty  has  compelled  me  to  inhabit  for  the  last  three 
months.'' 

"  Your  visit  has  succeeded  sufficiently  well  for  you 
to  have  no  right  to  bear  me  any  grudge,"  replied  the 
Austrian  Emperor. 

The  two  monarchs  embraced  and  the  armistice  was 
concluded.  A  formal  order  from  Napoleon  was  neces- 
sary in  order  to  stop  the  march  of  Marshal  Davont, 
who  was  in  pursuit  of  the  Russian  army.  General 
Savery,  the  friend  of  Schulmeister,  was  entrusted  with 
this  order.  He  carried  to  the  Czar  the  conditions  of 
the  armistice. 

"  I  am  satisfied,  since  my  ally  is,"  replied  Alexander, 
and  he  allowed  to  escape  from  him  the  expression  of 
admiration  which  he  could  not  restrain.  "  Your  mas- 
ter," he  said,  "  has  shown  himself  to  be  very  great." 

After  more  weighty  matters  had  been  settled  Na- 
poleon sent  for  Schulmeister  and  congratulated  him 
upon  his  courage  and  level-headedness. 

"  As  a  mark  of  my  confidence,"  he  said,  ''  I  make 
you  chief  of  police  of  Vienna." 

It  was  a  rich  plum  —  in  its  way  one  of  the  richest 


108    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

at  the  disposal  of  the  Emperor.  The  smuggler  of  the 
Alsatian  village  was  a  man  who  knew  how  to  adapt 
himself  to  circumstances.  In  his  new  post  he  dis- 
played great  executive  ability,  and  if  he  added  to  his 
fortune  —  well,  those  were  the  times  when  it  was  de- 
clared unblushingly  that  "to  the  victors  belong  the 
spoils." 


VIII 

LYDIA  DARRAH,  THE  BRAVE  QUAKERESS 

WHO  SAVED  WASHINGTON'S  ARMY 

FROM  DESTRUCTION 


VIII 

LYDIA  DARRAH,  THE  BRAVE  QUAKERESS 

WHO  SAVED  WASHLXGTON'S  ARMY 

FROM  DESTRUCTION 

WHILE  the  British  occupied  Philadelphia  dur- 
ing the  Revolutionary  War  most  of  their 
time  was  given  to  the  pleasures  of  life.  It 
was  this  fact  that  caused  Franklin  to  observe  with 
characteristic  shrewdness  that  "  Howe  had  not  taken 
Philadelphia  but  Philadelphia  had  taken  Howe." 
There  was,  however,  one  serious  attempt  made  to  de- 
stroy Washington's  army  during  the  period  and,  curi- 
ously enough,  it  was  frustrated  by  the  courage,  the 
wit  and  the  promptness  of  a  brave  Quakeress. 

When  the  British  took  possession  of  the  city  the 
officers  appropriated  the  most  desirable  dwellings  for 
their  headquarters.  Thus  General  Harris  practically 
confiscated  the  home  of  General  Cadwallader,  on  Sec- 
ond Street,  four  doors  below  Spruce.  Directly  oppo- 
site this,  on  the  corner  of  Little  Dock  Street,  was  the 
quaint  home  of  William  and  Lydia  Darrah,  who  were 
members  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  whose  members, 
it  need  scarcely  be  said,  have  a  profound  repugnance 
to  war. 

By  one  of  those  little  ironies  which  constantly  mock 

111 


112     THE  WOELD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

our  lives,  the  Adjutant-General  of  the  British  army 
decided  to  make  his  home  with  the  Darrahs.  By  the 
polite  fiction  which  sometimes  prevails  in  time  of  war 
as  well  as  of  peace,  both  pretended  to  be  delighted  with 
the  arrangement.  It  is  certain  that  the  Englishman 
found  a  desirable  and  well  kept  colonial  home  for  his 
temporary  habitation,  while  the  Darrahs  soon  discov- 
ered that  whatever  else  he  might  be,  their  war  guest 
was  a  gentleman. 

Lydia  Darrah  had  the  reputation  of  being  a  Whig, 
and  she  gloried  in  it.  She  made  no  secret  of  her  feel- 
ings to  her  lodger,  and  one  day  when  he  reproached 
her  with  her  want  of  loyalty  to  the  mother  country, 
she  exclaimed  with  spirit : 

"  I  hope  thee  is  beaten  —  thee  deserve  to  be  for 
coming  across  the  ocean  to  subdue  a  liberty-loving 
people." 

He  laughed  at  this  outburst  and  remarked : 

"  I  was  beginning  to  flatter  myself  that  you  and 
your  husband  looked  upon  me  as  a  friend." 

"  And  so  we  do.  We  detest  the  sin  while  pitying 
the  sinner.  Though  we  consider  thee  as  a  public 
enemy,  we  regard  thee  as  a  private  friend.  While  we 
detest  the  cause  thee  fights  for,  we  wish  well  to  thy 
personal  interest  and  safety." 

"Oh!"  he  cried,  jovially.  "That  sounds  better. 
You  are  really  a  friend  of  the  King." 

"  Thee  must  not  feel  flattered,"  she  said  gravely. 
"  We  are  for  the  Colonists.  Thee  knows  that  every 
unnecessary  expense  has  been  retrenched  in  this  house. 
Tea  has  not  been  drunk  since  last  Christmas.     Nor 


THE  BRAVE  QUAKERESS        113 

have  I  bought  a  new  cap  or  gown  since  your  defeat 
at  Lexington.  Be  assured  that  such  is  the  feehng  of 
American  women." 

The  Adjutant-General  could  not  but  admire  the 
spirit  of  such  a  woman.  Whatever  else  she  might  be 
she  was  not  deceitful.  She  did  not  attempt  to  curry 
favor  with  the  British.  It  rather  pleased  him  to  per- 
mit her  to  indulge  in  what  might  be  considered  treason- 
able sentiments.  No  matter  how  radical  might  Ije  her 
views  there  could  be  no  danger  from  this  sweet- faced 
little  woman  with  the  poke  bonnet  and  the  drab  dress. 
And,  moreover,  even  when  most  spirited,  there  was  no 
bitterness  or  vindictiveness  in  her  tone  or  manner. 
As  he  gazed  at  her  he  felt  that  the  serenity  of  her 
countenance  was  truly  an  outward  sign  of  the  tran- 
quillity of  her  life. 

Among  other  things,  the  Adjutant-General  had  ar- 
ranged for  a  room  on  the  first  floor  to  be  used  as  a 
sort  of  conference  chamber  for  the  British  officers. 
Here  groups  of  the  leading  redcoats  were  wont  to 
assemble,  by  candle-light,  for  the  purpose  of  discuss- 
ing plans  of  campaigns.  Several  of  these  gatherings 
had  been  held  without  attracting  any  particular  atten- 
tion from  Lydia  Darrah. 

Early  in  December,  1777,  there  was  a  strange  halt 
in  the  round  of  pleasure  among  the  British  officers  in 
Philadelphia.  The  men  were  drilled  and  organized 
as  if  in  anticipation  of  a  coming  movement.  The  in- 
difiference  and  indolence  of  the  previous  months  gave 
way  to  activity  all  along  the  line.  Lydia.  who  was  a 
true  patriot,  observed  these  signs  with  genuine  distress. 


114    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

She  could  not  but  feel  that  it  boded  ill  to  her  country- 
men. 

It  was  on  the  2nd  of  December  that  the  Adjutant- 
General  sent  for  her.  She  noticed  that  he  was  seriouL 
and  preoccupied. 

"  I  wish  to  tell  you,"  he  said,  "  that  we  will  require 
the  use  of  the  sitting-room  at  seven  o'clock  this  even- 
ing. We  may  remain  late  and  it  is  important  that  we 
should  not  be  disturbed.  For  this  reason  I  would  ask 
you  to  have  all  of  the  members  of  your  family  retire 
early.  When  we  are  through  and  it  is  time  for  us  to 
leave  I  will  call  you  so  that  you  may  let  us  out.  Do 
you  understand  ?  " 

'*  Perfectly,"  she  replied,  with  downcast  eyes.  "  I 
will  see  that  everything  is  prepared,  and  after  that  shall 
retire  and  wait  until  thee  summons  me." 

On  the  night  in  question  she  carried  out  all  of  the 
orders  wath  literal  exactness.  But  she  could  not  rest. 
The  words  of  the  British  officer  had  filled  her  with 
curiosity  and  uneasiness.  What  did  it  mean?  What 
was  the  object  of  this  mysterious  conference?  Finally 
she  could  remain  in  her  room  no  longer.  She  crept 
silently  downstairs  in  her  stockinged  feet  and  took  up  a 
position  outside  of  the  door  where  the  officers  were 
assembled.  By  pressing  her  ear  close  to  the  crevices 
of  the  panels  she  could  hear  the  talk  from  within. 
The  words  "  Washington  "  and  "  Whitemarsh  "  at- 
tracted her  attention  and  presently  she  obtained  a  con- 
nected story  of  their  plans. 

She  was  shocked,  and  with  reason.  What  she  had 
heard  was  an  order  for  all  the  British  troops  to  march 


THE  BRAVE  QUAKERESS        115 

out  on  the  evening  of  the  fourth  to  attack  the  army  of 
General  Washington,  then  encamped  at  Whitemarsh. 
She  knew  what  that  would  mean  only  too  well.  Taken 
unawares  by  superior  numbers,  the  patriot  army  would 
be  destroyed.  And  that  destruction  meant  that  the 
torch  of  liberty  would  be  extinguished  —  the  hope  of 
freedom  would  be  destroyed. 

Lydia  Darrah  crept  silently  upstairs  again  and  went 
to  bed,  but  not  to  sleep.  She  was  depressed  and  dis- 
heartened. The  thought  that  the  lives  of  Americans 
might  be  lost  in  vain  was  intolerable.  And  while  the 
members  of  her  family  slept  soundly,  and  the  officers 
in  the  room  below  perfected  their  plans,  she  wondered 
what  could  be  done  to  avert  the  threatened  calam- 
ity. 

While  her  mind  was  filled  with  conflictmg  thoughts 
there  came  a  rap  at  her  door  and  the  voice  of  the  Ad- 
jutant-General saying  that  they  were  ready  to  leave. 
She  remained  perfectly  quiet  and  then  he  knocked  a 
second  time  and  louder  than  before.  Still  no  answer 
and  this  time  he  pounded  with  his  fists.  She  arose, 
and  taking  her  time  to  dress,  appeared  at  the  door, 
candle  in  hand,  and  pretended  to  be  very  drowsy.  He 
apologized  for  having  aroused  her  from  sleep  and  left 
the  house  with  his  companions. 

From  that  moment  she  was  so  agitated  that  she  could 
neither  sleep  nor  eat.  The  question  was  how  to  get 
the  information  to  General  Washington.  She  dare  not 
confide  in  any  one  —  not  even  her  husband.  She  de- 
cided to  go  to  Whitemarsh  herself.  In  order  to  fur- 
nish a  plausible  excuse  she  informed  the  members  of 


116    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

her  family  that  it  was  necessary  to  get  a  sack  of  flour 
from  the  mill  at  Frankford.     Her  husband  protested. 

"  Send  one  of  the  servants,"  he  said.  "  There  is  no 
good  reason  why  thee  should  make  such  a  long 
trip." 

"  No,"  she  replied  resolutely.     "  I  shall  go  myself." 

"  But  at  least,"  he  pleaded,  "  take  one  of  the  servant 
maids  with  thee." 

"  I  shall  go  alone,"  she  insisted  with  a  determination 
that  surprised  and  conquered  him. 

William  Darrah  learned  on  that  occasion  that  a 
Quakeress,  though  placid  in  appearance,  can  be  quite  as 
obstinate  as  other  members  of  her  sex.  He  gazed 
wonderingly  at  the  poke-bonneted  woman  as  she  left 
the  house  and  started  in  the  direction  of  General 
Howe's  headquarters  in  order  to  get  the  requisite  pass 
to  get  through  the  British  lines. 

General  Howe  received  her  kindly,  if  not  almost 
jovially.  He  knew  that  the  Adjutant-General  of  his 
army  was  quartered  at  the  Darrah  home,  and  he  looked 
on  Lydia  as  an  interesting  but  harmless  rebel.  He  was 
surrounded  by  members  of  his  staff  and  they,  like  their 
superior,  were  disposed  to  jest  with  the  Quakeress. 
But  finally  the  coveted  pasteboard  was  handed  to  her. 

"  Don't  stay  long,"  he  smiled.  "  Your  British 
guests  will  miss  you." 

The  moment  she  received  the  pass  she  hurried  away 
and  once  out  of  sight  of  the  general's  headquarters 
she  almost  ran  until  she  reached  Frankford.  She  left 
her  bag  at  the  mill,  and  saying  she  would  return  for  it 
in  a  little  while,  continued  her  journey  to  Whitemarsh. 


THE  BRAVE  QUAKERESS       117 

Washington  had  camped  at  this  place  after  resting 
for  a  few  days  at  Perkiomen  Creek.  He  was  reen- 
forced  by  1200  Rhode  Island  troops  from  Pcekskill, 
under  General  Varnum,  and  nearly  1000  Virginia, 
Maryland  and  Pennsylvania  soldiers.  He  was  now 
within  fourteen  miles  of  Philadelphia.  By  a  resolution 
of  Congress  all  persons  taken  within  thirty  miles  of 
any  place  occupied  by  the  British  troops,  in  the  act  of 
conveying  supplies  to  them,  were  subjected  to  martial 
law.  Acting  under  the  resolution,  \\'ashington  de- 
tached large  bodies  of  militia  to  scour  the  roads  above 
the  city,  and  between  the  Schuylkill  and  Chester,  to 
intercept  all  supplies  going  to  the  enemy. 

This  served  a  double  purpose.  It  harassed  Howe  by 
preventing  him  from  receiving  the  supplies  and  gave 
them  to  the  Continentals.  All  this  time  Washing- 
ton was  observing  a  prudent  policy.  He  was  anxious 
to  fight,  but  he  was  only  willing  to  do  so  under  circum- 
stances that  would  be  advantageous  to  himself.  He 
had  many  critics  of  this  policy,  and  some  of  them  said 
nasty  things,  but  Washington  held  steadily  to  his  pur- 
pose in  spite  of  good  and  evil  reports. 

Lydia  Darrah  plodded  along  to  Whitemarsh,  ob- 
livious alike  of  the  inclemency  of  the  weather  and  her 
personal  discomfort.  Her  one  thought  was  to  get  the 
warning  to  Washington,  for  whom  she  had  a  respect 
and  reverence  that  bordered  on  veneration.  After 
leaving  the  mill  at  Frank  ford  she  encountered  but  few 
persons,  and  these  looked  upon  the  little  Quakeress 
with  only  a  listless  curiosity. 

It  was  when  she  had  almost  reached  her  destination 


118    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

that  she  began  to  feel  footsore  and  weary.  She  was 
filled  with  a  great  desire  to  sit  by  the  roadside  and  rest, 
but  she  resisted  the  natural  inclination  and  kept  on  to 
the  end.  Within  that  frail  body  and  beneath  those 
modest  and  peaceful  garments  there  was  a  grim  deter- 
mination that  was  Spartan-like  in  its  persistence  and 
its  ignoring  of  pain  and  suffering. 

Just  before  she  reached  her  goal  she  saw  a  mounted 
Continental  officer.  His  back  was  turned  to  her  and 
she  debated  the  advisability  of  speaking  to  him.  Be- 
fore she  reached  a  conclusion  he  had  twisted  about  in 
his  saddle  and  looked  in  her  direction.  The  recogni- 
tion was  mutual.  He  was  a  young  American  officer  of 
her  acquaintance,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Craig  of  the 
light  horse.  He  was  evidently  amazed  at  seeing  her  in 
such  a  place,  and,  riding  over,  touched  his  hat. 

"  Have  you  lost  your  way?  "  he  asked,  and  before 
she  could  answer  he  added,  "  and  how  did  you  get 
through  the  British  lines?  " 

She  smiled  sweetly  in  spite  of  her  fatigue. 

"  I  came  to  get  flour  at  the  mill  in  Frank  ford.  Gen- 
eral Howe  was  good  enough  to  give  me  a  pass." 

"  But  you  are  beyond  Frankford,"  he  protested. 

"  Perhaps,"  she  said  hesitatingly,  "  I  may  be  in 
search  of  my  son  who  is  an  officer  in  the  American 
army." 

"  Perhaps,"  retorted  Lieutenant  Colonel  Craig, 
doubtfully. 

By  this  time  several  soldiers  on  foot  came  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  speakers.  Lydia  became  nervous  and 
ill  at  ease.     She  plucked  at  his  coat. 


LYDIA  DARRAH   AND  LIEUTENANT-COLONEL  CRAIG 


THE  BRAVE  QUAKERESS       119 

"  Dismount  and  walk  aside  with  me,"  she  whispered. 
"  I  have  something  to  tell  you." 

He  comphed  with  her  request,  wonderingly.  The 
Lieutenant  Colonel  and  his  companions  constituted  a 
squad  that  had  been  sent  out  by  Washington  to  watch 
the  roads  and  to  gather  information  concerning  the 
enemy.  Little  did  he  suspect  that  such  important  news 
was  at  hand.  They  walked  some  yards  from  the  sol- 
diers. 

"  Now,"  he  commanded,  "  tell  me  what  in  the  world 
you  are  doing  so  far  from  home." 

"  Lieutenant,"  she  cried  in  a  voice  that  trembled  in 
spite  of  herself,  "  I  came  to  warn  General  Washing- 
ton that  General  Howe  intends  to  attack  the  Conti- 
nental army.  He  hopes  to  find  General  Washington 
unprepared." 

"  How  do  you  know^  this?  " 

"  I  overheard  it  last  night.  The  Adjutant-General 
and  other  officers  met  at  my  house  to  make  their  plans. 
I  felt  that  General  Washington  must  be  warned  and  I 
walked  here  for  that  purpose." 

The  eyes  of  the  young  officer  almost  stared  out  of 
their  sockets.  He  gazed  down  at  the  frail  woman  in 
amazement  and  admiration. 

"  Shall  I  take  you  to  the  General?  " 

"  No,  it  is  sufficient  for  you  to  know.  It  shall  be 
your  duty  to  tell  him.  And  you  must  agree  not  to 
reveal  your  source  of  information.  H  it  was  known 
that  I  came  here  it  would  go  hard  with  me  —  it  might 
mean  my  death." 

"  I  promise!  "  he  said,  solemnly. 


120    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

Then  and  there  the  Quakeress  told  him  all  that  had 
taken  place  in  her  house  at  the  conference  among  the 
British  officers.  She  had  an  excellent  memory  and  was 
able  to  give  him  all  the  details  of  the  proposed  attack. 
As  she  concluded  she  said : 

"  You  must  not  reveal  my  identity  —  even  to  your 
men." 

"  It  shall  be  as  you  wish,  and  now  you  must  rest  and 
have  food." 

She  protested  feebly,  but  he  was  not  to  be  gainsaid, 
and  insisted  upon  escorting  her  to  a  nearby  farmhouse 
where  she  might  obtain  food  and  also  rest  for  a  while 
before  taking  the  long  walk  back  to  the  city.  She 
urged  him  to  go  to  Washington  at  once,  saying  the 
message  he  had  to  convey  was  more  important  than  her 
personal  comfort.  But  he  was  a  gentleman  as  well  as 
a  patriot  and  he  did  not  leave  her  until  she  had  been 
safely  housed  and  her  wants  attended  to.  On  leaving 
he  stooped  and  kissed  her  hand. 

"  You  have  saved  the  army,"  he  said,  "  and  you  will 
not  be  forgotten  as  long  as  liberty  endures." 

She  did  not  stay  long,  and,  after  a  light  meal,  left 
for  the  return  to  Philadelphia.  She  paused  at  Frank- 
ford  to  get  the  sack  of  flour,  which  she  carried  with  her 
as  a  proof  of  the  statement  that  she  had  gone  to  the 
mill.  Fortunately  she  reached  her  home  safely,  and 
apparently  the  incident  after  that  was  forgotten  by  the 
other  members  of  the  household. 

But  she  was  in  a  state  of  high  nervous  tension  until 
she  could  l)e  assured  of  the  safety  of  the  Continental 
army.     She  waited  eagerly  for  the  departure  of  the 


THE  BRAVE  QUAKERESS       121 

British.  It  was  about  forty-eight  hours  after  her  re- 
turn from  Whitemarsh  that  the  beating  of  drums  and 
the  marching  of  many  feet  announced  the  departure 
of  the  troops  for  the  purpose  of  surprising  Washing- 
ton. Lydia  Darrah  stood  on  the  sidewalk  as  the  ght- 
tering  cavalcades  passed  by,  apparently  a  non-impor- 
tant unit  in  the  mass  of  spectators,  but  actually  the  he- 
roine, if  not  the  most  important  figure,  of  the  drama 
that  was  to  be  enacted.  After  the  last  of  the  soldiers 
had  departed  she  retired  to  her  room  in  a  fever  of  ap- 
prehension that  was  not  to  be  allayed  until  she  had 
received  definite  news  of  the  encounter  between  the 
two  armies. 

General  Howe  was  in  high  good  spirits.  He  felt 
that  he  was  going  to  catch  the  "  old  fox  "  sleeping,  and 
the  thought  made  him  chuckle  with  delight.  The  town 
\\as  full  of  Tories,  too,  and  many  of  them  would  not 
have  been  displeased  if  the  "  rebels  "  received  a  crush- 
ing blow.  But  Lydia  Darrah,  in  her  darkened  cham- 
ber, hoped  and  prayed  that  all  might  go  well  with 
Washington  and  his  men. 

In  the  meantime,  at  Whitemarsh,  preparations  for 
meeting  the  enemy  were  going  on  in  the  Continental 
army.  Washington  was  impressed  with  the  informa- 
tion brought  to  him  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Craig.  On 
the  (lay  of  the  4th  the  Commander-in-chief  received 
word  from  Captain  Allen  McLane.  a  vigilant  officer, 
which  confirmed  the  warning  carried  to  the  camp  by 
Lydia  Darrah.  He  made  his  dispositions  to  receive 
the  meditated  assault,  and  in  the  meantime  sent  i\Ic- 
Lane.  with  100  men.  to  reconnoitcr.     This  gallant  offi- 


122    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

cer  met  the  van  of  the  enemy  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night 
on  the  Germantown  road,  attacked  it  and  forced  it  to 
change  its  line  of  march. 

But  it  was  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  before  the 
alarm  gun  announced  the  approach  of  the  main  body 
of  the  British  army.  They  appeared  at  daybreak  and 
took  their  position  at  Chestnut  Hill  vi'ithin  three  miles 
of  Washington's  right  wing.  Here  the  invaders  met 
with  a  second  surprise.  Far  from  being  unprepared,  a 
detachment  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Militia  sallied 
forth  and  gave  battle  to  the  redcoats.  It  was  a  draw, 
with  a  few  dead  and  wounded  on  each  side,  and  the 
British  general  in  charge  exclaimed : 

"  They  don't  seem  to  be  a  bit  surprised !  " 

General  Howe  passed  the  day  in  reconnoitering  and 
at  night  changed  his  ground  and  moved  to  a  hill 
on  the  left  within  a  mile  of  the  American  line.  He 
wanted  to  get  into  action,  but  Washington,  with  great 
military  shrewdness,  declined  to  accommodate  him. 
There  were  several  sharp  skirmishes  at  Edge  Hill,  and 
other  points  thereabouts,  in  which  Morgan's  Riflemen 
and  the  Maryland  Militia  were  concerned,  but  no  gen- 
eral engagement. 

On  the  morning  of  the  seventh  there  was  every  evi- 
dence that  Howe  meditated  an  attack  on  the  left  wing. 
This  was  what  Washington  most  desired  and  his  hopes 
ran  high  as  he  prepared  for  a  warm  and  decisive  ac- 
tion. In  the  course  of  the  day  he  rode  through  every 
brigade  explaining  how  the  attack  was  to  be  met  and 
exhorting  the  men  to  remember  that  they  were  fighting 
i»^  the  cause  of  liberty.     He  urged  them  to  depend 


THE  BRAVE  QUAKERESS       123 

mainly  upon  the  bayonet  and  to  be  on  the  aggressive 
always.  Both  his  words  and  his  manner  impressed 
them,  but  especially  his  manner,  for  Washington  had 
a  demeanor  at  once  grave  and  determined,  which  filled 
his  followers  with  confidence. 

The  day  wore  on  to  its  close  with  nothing  but  minor 
skirmishes.  The  reports  show  that  Morgan's  Rifle- 
men and  the  Maryland  Militia  under  Colonel  Gist  did 
brave  work  in  this  regard.  An  attack  was  next  ex- 
pected during  the  night,  but  it  never  occurred.  The 
spirit  displayed  by  the  Americans,  and  especially  their 
preparedness,  had  a  discouraging  effect  upon  the  in- 
vaders. 

When  the  first  gray  tints  of  dawn  appeared  it  was 
seen  that  the  British  army  was  in  motion  again.  But 
they  did  not  advance  toward  the  Americans.  On  the 
contrary  they  filed  off  to  the  right  where  long  strings 
of  fires  were  lit;  behind  these  fires  the  redcoats  silently 
departed  in  the  direction  of  Philadelphia. 

They  had  come  on  a  fool's  errand  —  like  the  king's 
soldiers  in  the  couplet,  they  had  marched  up  the  hill 
and  then  marched  down  again.  , 

Washington  immediately  detached  light  firing 
parties  to  fall  upon  the  rear  of  the  departing  army, 
but  they  had  secured  too  good  a  start  to  be  very  seri- 
ously damaged.  The  Continentals  did.  however,  suc- 
ceed in  worrying  the  redcoats  and  in  making  them  re- 
gret they  had  left  Philadelphia. 

Washington  was  sorry  that  there  had  not  been  a 
battle,  and  writing  to  the  President  of  Congress  at  the 
time  said : 


124    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

"  I  sincerely  wish  they  had  made  an  attack ;  as  the 
issue  in  all  probability,  from  the  disposition  of  our 
troops  and  the  strong  situation  of  our  camp,  must  have 
been  fortunate  and  happy.  At  the  same  time  I  must 
add,  that  reason,  prudence  and  every  principle  of  pol- 
icy forbade  us  from  quitting  our  post  to  attack  them. 
Nothing  but  success  would  have  justified  the  measure; 
and  this  could  not  have  been  expected  from  their  posi- 
tion." 

It  was  a  sorry  procession  of  Englishmen  that  filed 
through  the  streets  of  Philadelphia  after  this  historic 
retreat  —  because  it  can  only  be  called  a  retreat. 
They  had  gone  out  with  high  hopes ;  they  had  returned 
—  figuratively  speaking  —  with  their  tails  between 
their  legs.  They  had  expected  to  throw  themselves 
upon  a  camp  of  sleeping  and  unprepared  men ;  they 
had  encountered  a  spirited  and  fully  prepared  foe. 
The  Tory  ladies  who  lined  the  sidewalks  of  the  city 
felt  sorry  for  the  non-conquering  heroes.  But  one 
woman  watched  that  mournful  march  with  pleasure, 
the  woman  who  was  chiefly  responisble  for  it  —  Lydia 
Darrah. 

On  the  night  after  the  return  of  the  British  troops 
the  Adjutant-General  of  the  army  sent  for  Lydia  Dar- 
rah. He  requested  her  to  come  to  his  room  as  he 
wished  to  put  to  her  some  important  questions.  She 
followed,  quaking  in  her  shoes.  She  felt  that  some 
one  had  betrayed  her,  and  prepared  to  suffer  the  con- 
sequences. 

"  What  I  wish  to  know%"  he  said,  after  she  had  been 


THE  BRAVE  QUAKERESS       125 

seated,  "  is  whether  any  of  your  family  was  up  after 
eight  o'clock  on  the  night  that  I  conferred  with  the 
other  officers  in  your  sitting-room." 

She  shook  her  poke-bonneted  head. 

"  Thee  knows  that  we  all  went  to  bed  at  eight 
o'clock,"  she  answered. 

"  I  know  that  you  were  asleep,"  he  said  with  em- 
phasis, "  because  I  had  to  knock  at  your  chamber  door 
three  times  before  you  were  aroused.  But  I  wondered 
if  any  one  else  was  about." 

"Why?" 

"  Because  some  one  must  have  given  Washington 
information  concerning  our  march.  I  know  you  were 
in  bed ;  you  say  the  others  were  also.  I  can't  imagine 
who  gave  us  away  unless  the  walls  had  ears.  When 
we  reached  Whitemarsh  we  found  all  their  cannon 
mounted  and  the  soldiers  ready  to  receive  us.  Conse- 
quently, after  w-asting  days  in  marching  and  counter- 
marching, we  were  compelled  to  come  back  here  like 
a  pack  of  fools." 

"  T  sympathize  with  thee,"  she  said,  but  if  one  could 
have  peeped  beneath  the  folds  of  that  poke  bonnet  one 
would  have  sworn  there  was  a  twinkle  in  those  demure 
eyes  and  a  smile  of  satisfaction  upon  that  placid  face. 

And  who  will  have  the  heart  to  find  fault  with  the 
brave  Quakeress  for  the  twinkle,  the  smile  and  the 
white  lie? 


IX 


DOCTOR  STEIBER  AND  THE  MYSTERY 
OF  THE  FRANCO-PRUSSIAN  WAR 


IX 

DOCTOR  STEIBER  AND  THE  MYSTERY 
OF  THE  FRANCO-PRUSSIAN  WAR 

ONE  of  the  mysteries  that  has  ever  puzzled  patri- 
otic Frenchmen  is  how  Germany  —  in  1870  — 
was  able  to  crush  France  in  one  of  the  shortest 
and  most  humiliating  wars  in  history.  The  bravery, 
the  unquestioned  courage  of  the  French  soldier,  in 
every  war  prior  to  and  since  1870,  has  been  universally 
conceded.  The  French  troops  have  often  held  out 
against  great  odds  and  acknowledged  defeat  only  after 
a  long  and  stubborn  resistance.  Why  did  the  national 
defenses  in  1870  fall  down  like  so  many  houses  of 
cards?  Why  was  France  caught  in  such  an  utterly 
unprepared  condition?  Why  was  it  that  so  many 
French  troops  were  captured  like  rats  in  a  trap?  In 
a  word,  what  was  the  mystery  of  the  Franco-Prussian 
War? 

The  answer  is  simple.  They  were  out-spied,  and 
the  man  behind  the  mystery  was  Doctor  Steiber,  Chief 
of  the  Prussian  Secret  Service. 

He  confessed  afterwards,  and  it  has  since  been  cor- 
roborated from  many  reliable  sources,  that  two  armies 
were  responsible  for  the  defeat  of  France  in  the 
Franco-Prussian  War.  One  was  Steiber's  army  of 
spies  which  invaded  the  country  in   1867,   1868,  and 

129 


130    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

1869,  and  the  other  was  the  German  military  army 
which  came  in  1S70. 

Steiber  was  a  man  with  untiring  push,  unlimited 
persistence  and  an  unpleasant  personality.  He  had 
big  ears,  a  big  nose,  shifty  eyes  and  an  irritating  smile. 
Like  a  certain  character  made  famous  by  Dickens,  he 
was  always  washing  his  hands  in  invisible  water.  He 
was  cordially  disliked  by  many  of  the  German  officers, 
but  was  a  favorite  of  Prince  Bismarck,  and  that,  of 
course,  turned  the  scales  in  his  favor.  Napoleon's 
chief  spy  was  an  Alsatian  smuggler,  while  Bismarck's 
secret  service  agent  was  a  socialist.  At  least  that  is 
what  he  was  before  he  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
German  Prime  Minister.  After  that  he  believed  abso- 
lutely in  the  sacred  rights  of  property. 

It  was  in  1864  that  he  first  performed  any  work  of 
consequence  outside  of  Germany.  About  that  time 
Bismarck  began  to  have  designs  upon  Bohemia,  but 
before  attacking  that  country  the  prudent  head  of  the 
State  Department  desired  to  get  all  of  the  inside  infor- 
mation that  was  possible.  He  looked  about  him  for  an 
instrument,  and  his  gaze  fell  upon  the  erstwhile 
socialist. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1864  Steiber  set  out  for  Bohe- 
mia. As  the  people  of  that  country  were  very  religious 
he  went  in  the  guise  of  a  peddler  of  religious  statutes. 
He  traveled  from  one  town  to  another  gaining  the 
confidence  of  the  honest  and  simple  minded  people, 
and  acquiring  a  vast  fund  of  information  concerning 
the  forts  and  defenses  and  the  general  state  of  mili- 
tary preparedness  —  or  unpreparedness.     He  remained 


DOCTOR  STEIBER  131 

there  for  many  months  and  had  the  assistance  of  a 
number  of  lesser  spies.  When  he  returned  to  Ger- 
many he  was  able  to  place  this  data  in  the  hands  of 
Bismarck,  who,  in  turn,  gave  it  to  Moltke. 

On  the  strength  of  this  report  it  was  decided  to 
invade  Bohemia,  and  many  thousands  of  well-drilled, 
well-officered  and  well-fed  troops  advanced  upon  what 
might  fairly  be  called  a  helpless  country.  It  was  one 
victory  after  another  until  Bohemia  was  entirely  sub- 
jugated. Doctor  Steiber  accompanied  the  German 
army  in  its  victorious  march,  but  more  in  the  role  of 
an  informer  than  a  warrior.  Naturally  many  of  the 
German  officers  were  aware  of  the  character  of  his 
work,  and  some  of  them  were  outspoken  in  their  dis- 
gust. Many  of  them  refused  to  eat  at  the  same  mess 
with  him.  Bismarck  was  in  the  field  on  one  occasion 
and  Steiber  complained  to  him  of  the  affronts  that  had 
been  placed  upon  him. 

"  They  go  out  of  their  way  to  show  their  dislike  of 
me,"  he  said. 

"  Well,  what  of  it?  "  was  the  grufT  query. 

"  They  should  be  disciplined,"  he  insisted,  "  because 
I  am  merely  carrying  out  your  orders." 

"You  think  so?" 

"  I  do." 

"  Well,"  was  the  shrewd  response,  "  I  will  teach 
them  a  lesson  in  my  own  way." 

And  so  he  did.  And  it  took  the  form  of  having 
Doctor  Steiber  dine  with  him  in  his  own  tent. 

During  the  course  of  the  invasion  Steiber  was  made 
Governor   of   Braum,   the   capital   of    Moravia,   thus 


132     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

becoming  a  sort  of  glorified  chief  of  police.  In  this 
position,  as  might  be  expected,  there  were  many  rich 
pickings,  a  fact  that  was  not  overlooked  by  the  thrifty 
ex-socialist.  This  was  not  all.  He  was  decorated, 
and  the  medal  bestowed  upon  him  was  pinned  on  his 
ample  bosom  by  Moltke.  That  soldier,  like  Bismarck, 
was  eminently  practical.  As  if  to  justify  himself  he 
said  on  one  occasion : 

"  One  must  not  confine  oneself  to  giving  money  to 
spies.  One  must  know  how  to  show  them  honor  when 
they  deserve  it." 

After  the  Bohemian  business  had  been  concluded, 
Doctor  Steiber  had  a  period  of  comparative  ease.  He 
rested,  so  to  speak,  on  his  "  laurels."  He  prospered 
in  a  worldly  sense,  and  w'as  happy  in  possessing  the 
confidence  and  the  favor  of  those  who  were  high  in 
Prussian  officialdom.  He  knew  the  time  would  come 
when  his  peculiar  services  would  be  in  demand. 
Meanwhile  he  continued  with  the  routine  work  of  the 
Secret  Service  office.  The  call  for  bigger  things  came 
sooner  than  he  anticipated.  It  was  early  one  day  in 
June,  1867,  that  he  received  a  summons  from  Bis- 
marck. 

He  dropped  everything  and  hastened  to  the  home  of 
the  Prime  Minister.  He  found  him  alone,  and  at 
breakfast.  Bismarck  greeted  him  with  lazy,  good 
natured  tolerance,  and  bade  him  be  seated  until  he  had 
finished,  what  was  to  him  at  that  moment  the  most 
important  thing  in  the  world  —  his  meal.  While 
Steiber  waited  he  had  a  chance  to  study  the  personality 
of  this  remarkable  man. 


DOCTOR  STEIBER  133 

It  seemed  to  him  that  Bismarck  was  all  body,  lie 
was  impressed  more  than  anything  else  with  the  bulki- 
ness  of  the  Prime  Minister.  He  was  massive, —  "  as 
big  as  a  mountain,"  as  he  afterwards  expressed  it. 
For  the  rest  of  it,  there  was  nothing  to  dispel  the  popu- 
lar conception  of  the  man,  the  broad  shoulders,  thick 
neck,  grisly  mustache,  bushy  eyebrows  and  grim  deter- 
mined look. 

"  Steiber,"  said  the  Prime  Minister  between  bites, 
"  we  have  real  work  cut  out  for  you  now  —  work  and 
not  mere  child's  play." 

"  And  might  I  inquire  what  it  is,  your  Excellency?  " 
asked  the  spy  respectfully. 

**  All  in  good  time,"  was  the  playful  response. 
"  For  the  present  you  will  see  that  we  have  important 
business  on  hand." 

This  allusion  to  the  meal  spread  before  the  man  of 
blood  and  iron,  of  course,  brought  the  expected  laugh 
from  the  Chief  of  the  Prussian  Secret  Service.  And 
he  sat  and  watched  with  amazement  the  gastronomic 
powers  of  the  great  man.  He  had  heard  of  Bismarck's 
ability  in  this  line,  but  had  never  witnessed  anything 
like  the  present  exhibition.  He  had  been  told  that  on 
one  historic  occasion,  in  the  presence  of  the  Emperor. 
the  count  drained  a  quart  of  champagne  from  a  loving 
cup  without  pausing  for  breath,  and  now  he  believed  it. 

The  breakfast  which  was  to  satisfy  the  morning 
appetite  of  Bismarck  was  an  average  meal  —  the  kind 
that  ordinarily  pleased  him.  It  consisted  of  six  eggs, 
a  beefsteak,  several  slices  of  pheasant,  a  dish  of  fried 
potatoes,  a  plate  of  rye  bread,  cakes,  three  cups  of 


134    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

coffee  and  a  quart  of  red  wine.  Two  large  hunting 
dogs  hovered  about  the  table,  and  from  time  to  time 
during  the  meal  the  Prime  Minister  tossed  bits  of  meat 
to  them.  After  he  had  concluded  his  breakfast  Bis- 
marck leaned  back  in  his  chair  with  a  sigh  of  satisfac- 
tion. Presently  he  reached  for  a  long-stemmed  pipe, 
and  lighting  it,  sent  clouds  of  smoke  about  the  room. 
He  was  at  peace  with  all  the  world  —  and  with  Bis- 
marck, too. 

"  Now,"  he  said  lazily,  and  yet  with  a  sort  of  deter- 
mination, "  for  business." 

Steiber  realized,  when  his  patron  arose,  that  Bis- 
marck was  a  tall  man,  a  fact  that  was  not  always  appar- 
ent because  of  his  great  bulk.  The  Prime  Minister 
laid  his  pipe  aside  and  paced  the  floor  as  he  talked. 
Presently  he  sat  down  again  and  lit  a  cigar.  And 
during  the  remainder  of  the  interview  he  continued 
smoking.  He  was  what  is  popularly  called  a  "  chain 
smoker,"  each  cigar  being  lighted  by  the  stub  of  its 
predecessor. 

His  instructions  were  clean  cut  and  to  the  point. 
Steiber  was  to  go  into  France  and  spy  out  that  country 
for  the  benefit  of  Prussia.  He  was  to  have  unlimited 
means  and  all  of  the  assistance  he  might  require.  He 
was  to  get  plans  of  forts  and  defenses  generally ;  to 
ascertain  the  size  and  condition  of  the  French  army 
and  to  learn  all  that  was  possible  of  the  secrets  of  the 
French  War  Office.  In  a  word,  he  was  to  repeat,  in 
France,  what  he  had  already  done  in  Bohemia. 

When  Bismarck  dismissed  Steiber  the  spy  had  the 
greatest  commission  of  his  career.     He  had  little  doubt 


PRINCE  \0N  BISMARCK 


id 


DOCTOR  STEIBER  135 

of  his  ability  to  execute  it.  He  feared  no  man,  except 
possibly  Bismarck.  The  meeting  and  the  parting  of 
the  two  men  on  that  eventful  day  might  be  called  his- 
toric. The  Chancellor  even  went  so  far  as  to  lay  his 
hand  on  the  shoulder  of  his  agent. 

"  Remember  the  Fatherland  !  " 

The  builder  of  the  German  Empire  stood  there  with 
all  of  the  immensity  and  impressiveness  of  a  bronze 
statue,  and  as  the  spy  left  he  carried  with  him  the 
remembrance  of  the  tall  figure,  the  broad  shoulders, 
the  thick  neck,  the  grisly  mustache,  the  keen  eyes,  and 
the  grim,  determined  look.  And  as  a  background 
there  was  the  table  littered  with  the  remains  of  that 
amazing  meal  and  the  Japanned  plate  filled  with  smol- 
dering cigar  stumps. 

Steiber  went  forth  proud  and  boastful  and  with  the 

^'sion  of  more  medals  to  cover  his  ample  breast.     His 

g  ears  seemed  to  become  bigger,  his  enormous  nose 

appeared  to  grow  larger,  and  his  shifty  eyes  were  fairly 

<^lancing  with  delight. 

He  hurried  to  his  office  and  began  to  prepare  for  the 
campaign  of  espionage.  It  was  not  the  sort  of  thing 
to  plan  in  an  hour  or  a  day.  He  devoted  weeks  of 
labor  to  the  task.  Alaps  of  all  kinds  were  consulted 
and  all  sorts  of  secret  information  was  brought  from 
all  sorts  of  impossible  hiding-places.  He  considered 
next  the  men  that  should  go  with  him  and  the  various 
branches  of  work  that  should  be  assigned  to  them,  and 
finally  the  job  was  completed  with  the  thoroughness  for 
which  the  official  German  is  noted. 

When   Steiber   started   on   this   secret   invasion   of 


136    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

France  he  took  with  him  two  lieutenants,  Zernicki  and 
Kalten.  Their  work  lay  in  the  military  line.  They 
visited  fortifications  in  all  parts  of  France ;  they  car- 
ried cameras  with  them,  and  in  spite  of  the  regulations 
forbidding  such  things,  they  made  photographs  of  the 
defenses  and  even  of  the  cannon  in  the  forts.  Dis- 
guised as  peddlers  they  made  their  way  into  the  various 
garrisons  and  studied  the  methods  of  the  drill,  discov- 
ered the  number  of  men  attached  to  each  of  the  regi- 
ments, and  altogether  obtained  a  mass  of  information 
that  could  not  possibly  have  been  gleaned  from  blue 
books  or  official  publications. 

In  the  same  manner  men  were  sent  to  the  different 
navy  yards.  They  explored  the  warships  and  cruisers 
and  obtained  data  which  was  promptly  forwarded  to 
the  Foreign  Office  in  Berlin.  Napoleon  III  reigned 
over  France  at  this  time,  and  while  he  must  have  known 
the  danger  that  threatened  his  country  by  reason  of 
German  aggression,  he  apparently  made  no  effort  to 
avert  it.  Spies  ran  about  almost  under  his  nose  and  he 
could  not  see  them.  Some  years  before  this,  when  it 
was  reported  that  the  people  of  Paris  were  discon- 
tented, he  said : 

"  Well,  gild  the  dome  of  Les  Invalides  —  that  will 
give  them  something  to  look  at." 

And,  indeed,  he  gave  the  people  a  great  deal  to  dis- 
tract them  from  the  fear  of  both  poverty  and  war.  He 
was  largely  responsible  for  making  Paris  the  most 
beautiful  city  in  the  world.  He  laid  out  the  magnifi- 
cent boulevards,  built  the  great  sewers  and  in  other 
ways  made  the  city  the  joy  and  pride  of  the  inhabitants. 


DOCTOR  STEIBER  137 

There  had  long  been  ill  feeling  smoldering  between 
France  and  Germany  and  the  two  countries  were  on 
the  verge  of  war  in  1866.  But  this  significant  fact  was 
lost  on  Napoleon  III,  and  the  German  spies,  when  they 
came  into  France,  found  a  fertile  soil  to  cultivate. 

Steiber  did  not  stop  at  learning  the  secrets  of  the 
army  and  navy.  His  spies  even  went  to  Versailles 
and  were  to  be  found  in  public  and  semi-public  insti- 
tutions everywhere.  They  consisted  of  both  men  and 
women.  If  one  went  into  a  restaurant  the  waiter  who 
attended  to  his  wants  was  likely  to  be  a  German  spy. 
If  a  Frenchwoman  —  possibly  the  wife  of  an  army  or 
naval  officer  —  went  to  her  dressmaker's  she  was  fitted 
by  a  female  who  probably  was  on  the  payroll  of  Doctor 
Steiber.  At  one  time,  it  is  hinted,  there  were  five  thou- 
sand Prussian  spies  working  on  French  territory. 
Never  was  a  country  so  overrun  by  the  secret  agents  of 
a  foreign  power. 

Finally,  in  the  latter  part  of  1869,  Steiber  completed 
his  work  and  started  back  to  Berlin.  And  all  this  time 
the  complacent  French  Emperor  and  the  credulous 
French  people,  were  in  ignorance  of  how  they  had 
been  betrayed  by  the  thousands  of  foreign  visitors. 
Steiber,  Zernicki  and  Kalten  carried  several  large 
trunks  with  them  —  trunks  that  were  zealously 
guarded  by  day  and  by  night.  These  trunks  contained 
plans  of  all  sorts  and  reports  that  had  been  returned 
by  the  myriads  of  spies  under  the  Chief  of  the  Prus- 
sian Secret  Service.  Suppose  these  trunks  had  been 
captured  and  confiscated  by  the  French  police?  Sup- 
pos  Steiber  and  his  emissaries  had  been  arrested  while 


138    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

they  were  still  on  French  territory  ?  Is  it  too  much  to 
say  that  it  would  have  changed  the  course  of  history? 

Steiber  on  his  return  to  Berlin  went  direct  to  the 
home  of  the  Chancellor.  He  found  him,  as  before, 
resting  after  one  of  those  meals  for  which  he  was 
famous.  It  seemed  very  familiar,  the  broad  shoulders, 
thick  neck,  grisly  mustache,  bushy  eyebrows  and  grim, 
determined  look.  He  greeted  his  agent  with  a  playful 
manner  and  bade  him  tell  all  he  knew.  That  consumed 
some  time,  for  it  must  be  remembered  that  Steiber  and 
his  corps  of  assistants  had  spent  more  than  two  years 
in  France.  It  is  true  that  much  of  the  information  had 
been  sent  as  fast  as  it  was  collected,  but  Bismarck 
wanted  direct,  first-hand  news  from  his  trusted  serv- 
ant. 

And  while  he  talked  the  Chancellor  smoked  one  cigar 
after  another  and  occasionally  tossed  bits  of  meat  to 
the  dogs  that  were  constantly  by  his  side.  After  the 
interview  Steiber  received  another  medal  to  add  to  the 
collection  he  had  already  acquired.  And  then  Berlin, 
so  to  speak,  having  set  the  stage,  calmly  awaited  the 
course  of  events. 

The  climax  came  quicker  than  was  anticipated. 
Napoleon  demanded  that  the  King  of  Prussia  should 
bind  himself  by  an  autograph  letter  never  to  support 
Prince  Leopold  as  a  candidate  for  the  Spanish  crown. 
Bismarck,  confident  in  his  power,  and  fortified  by  the 
knowledge  that  he  had  of  the  French  unpreparedness, 
calmly  refused  to  lay  the  request  before  the  monarch. 

This  was  an  intolerable  slight  from  one  who  was 
regarded  as  a  subordinate.     A  few  days  after  this  the 


DOCTOR  «TiiJliJEK  139 

French  Ambassador  chanced  to  meet  the  King  in  a 
pubHc  walk  at  Ems,  and  there  and  then  asked  him  to 
give  the  desired  promise.  King  Wilham  refused,  with 
indignation,  to  transact  business  under  such  circum- 
stances and  later  notified  the  Ambassador  that  he 
would  not  be  given  an  audience  at  the  royal  palace. 

Napoleon  regarded  this  as  the  insult  direct,  and  as  a 
consequence  of  the  incident  war  was  declared  between 
the  two  countries.  The  people,  of  course,  were  unfa- 
miliar with  real  conditions.  They  did  not  know  that 
their  country  had  been  infested  with  foreign  spies  and 
that  they  were  utterly  unprepared  for  war.  They 
were  angered  at  the  apparent  slight  that  had  been  put 
upon  the  French  nation  and  they  were  filled  with  a 
burning  patriotism.  In  no  time  the  streets  of  Paris 
were  filled  with  but  one  cry : 

"On  to  Berlin!" 

Napoleon,  heading  a  hastily  mobilized  army, 
marched  north  and  camped  at  ]\letz,  whence  he  pro- 
posed crossing  the  Rhine  into  Germany.  But  the  Ger- 
mans, instead  of  waiting  for  this,  invaded  France,  hur- 
rying directly  toward  Paris.  The  scorn  and  indigna- 
tion of  the  people  was  intense.  Marshal  McMahon 
fought  bravely,  but  was  driven  back,  and  IMarshal 
Bazaine,  after  a  struggle,  was  driven  within  the  forti- 
fications at  Metz.  Everything  had  come  about  as  the 
Germans  anticipated.  A  large  part  of  the  French 
army  w'as  shut  up  in  a  trap,  while  the  remainder  strug- 
gled for  existence. 

On  the  eve  of  the  first  of  September,  1870.  the  King 
of  Prussia  arrived  at  Versailles  and  took  up  his  lodg- 


140    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

ings  in  the  palace  belonging  to  the  Due  de  Persigny. 
And  with  him  was  Doctor  Steiber,  gloating  and  con- 
tinually washing  his  hands  in  invisible  water.  Was 
not  all  of  this  his  work?  Had  he  not  spied  out  the 
land?  Had  he  not  invaded  France  before  the  army 
arrived?  In  a  word,  was  not  this  conquest  of  the 
army  but  a  confirmation  of  his  victory  of  espionage? 
He  was  more  boastful  than  ever  and  his  big  ears  and 
big  nose  were  everywhere  in  evidence. 

While  the  King  of  Prussia  ruled  like  a  conqueror, 
Steiber  played  the  tyrant  in  his  own  way.  He  had 
large  powers  and  he  did  not  hesitate  to  use  them.  One 
incident  will  show  the  character  of  the  man.  A  weal- 
thy and  popular  young  Frenchman,  Monsieur  de 
Raynal,  had  returned  to  Versailles  from  his  honey- 
moon, arriving  just  in  time  to  meet  the  German  invad- 
ers. He  kept  a  diary  of  the  happenings  of  the  inva- 
sion. It  was  not  much  —  merely  a  colorful  account, 
day  by  day,  of  the  doings  of  the  invaders.  Perhaps 
he  did  not  draw  a  flattering  picture  of  the  Prussians. 
How  could  he?  The  confiscation  of  the  offending 
document  and  maybe  the  temporary  imprisonment  of 
the  writer  would  have  been  ample  punishment,  if 
indeed,  any  were  necessary.  But  the  beggar  on  horse- 
back did  not  think  so. 

He  decreed  that  the  gallant  Frenchman  should  be 
executed.  Friends  of  the  gentleman  interceded  and 
asked  clemency  on  the  ground  that  he  was  but  newly 
married  and  on  his  honeymoon.  Steiber  spread  out 
his  big  hands,  shrugged  his  ugly  shoulders  and  said, 
"  Ah,  but  that  only  makes  my  task  the  more  painful." 


BOCTOK  STEIBER  141 

Even  the  German  soldiers  entered  their  protest.  But 
in  spite  of  it  Monsieur  de  Raynal  was  executed.  And 
Steiber  rubbed  his  hands,  washing  them,  as  ever,  in 
invisible  water.  But  all  the  water  in  creation  would 
not  wash  the  blood  of  innocent  victims  from  those  dirty 
hands ! 

While  this  was  going  on  in  Versailles  the  brave  Mc- 
Mahon  was  pressing  forward  to  the  relief  of  Bazaine. 
Presently  he  reached  Sedan,  where  a  great  battle  was 
fought,  resulting  in  the  decisive  defeat  of  the  French. 
On  the  evening  of  the  following  day  Napoleon  —  Na- 
poleon the  Little  —  as  he  was  derisively  called  by  Vic- 
tor Hugo  —  sent  a  letter  to  the  King  of  Prussia  in 
which  he  said : 

"  Not  being  able  to  die  at  the  head  of  my  troops,  I 
can  only  resign  my  sword  into  the  hands  of  \'our 
Majesty." 

Following  this.  Napoleon,  wnth  McMahon  and  80,- 
000  prisoners  of  war,  surrendered  to  the  enemy. 
Three  days  later  the  Emperor  was  deposed  and  France 
made  a  Republic.  So  rapidly  did  one  event  follow 
another.  Bazaine  held  out  until  October  when  he, 
with  6,000  officers  and  170,000  men,  laid  down  their 
arms.  Bazaine  was  afterwards  tried  and  sentenced  to 
degradation  and  death  for  having  failed  in  his  duty  to 
France.  The  sentence  was  commuted  to  twenty  years" 
imprisonment,  from  which  he  effected  his  escape. 

Then  came  the  Third  Republic,  the  siege  of  Paris 
and  the  treaty  of  peace  in  February,  1871 ;  France 
agreed  to  give  up  all  of  German-speaking  Lorraine  and 
the  whole  of  Alsace  and  to  pay  5,000,000,000  francs  to 


142    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

Germany.  The  story  of  how  the  inhabitants  of  Alsace 
were  compelled  to  choose  between  becoming  German 
citizens  or  leaving  the  province  is  a  sad  one.  The  mel- 
ancholy procession,  when  fifty  thousand  of  them  left 
their  homes  and  their  all  and  marched  into  France  on 
the  30th  of  September,  1872,  will  never  be  forgotten. 

The  great  statue  in  the  Place  de  la  Concorde  in  Paris, 
with  one  of  its  marble  figures  draped  in  mourning  on 
national  holidays,  has  been  a  constant  reminder  to  pos- 
terity. 

When  the  victorious  Germans  returned  to  Berlin 
Doctor  Steiber  was  with  them  —  proud  and  boastful 
as  ever.  The  order  of  the  Red  Eagle  was  added  to  his 
numerous  decorations,  and  it  was  reputed  that  he 
became  a  millionaire  in  addition. 

The  Franco-Prussian  War  —  or  at  least  the  result 
of  that  war  —  has  ever  been  a  mystery  to  patriotic 
Frenchmen.  But  the  solution  of  it  may  be  found  in 
that  secret  invasion  of  spies  led  by  Steiber  and  his 
unscrupulous  lieutenants. 


THE  ADVENTURE  OF  PRIVATE  MORGAN 
IN  THE  CAMP  OF  CORNWALLIS 


X 


THE  ADVENTURE  OF  PRIVATE  MORGAN 
IN  THE  CAMP  OF  CORNWALLIS 

THIS  is  the  story  of  how  a  private  soldier  in 
the  New  Jersey  Brigade  displayed  remarkable 
shrewdness  and  unusual  courage,  and  partici- 
pated in  the  glory  of  one  of  the  most  successful  cam- 
paigns of  the  Revolutionary  War  by  acting  as  the 
agent  of  General  Lafayette  in  entering  the  British 
lines,  and  obtaining  valuable  information  concerning 
the  movements  of  Cornwallis. 

It  is  quite  possible  that  other  private  soldiers  of  the 
Continental  army  may  have  performed  exploits  just 
as  thrilling  in  their  nature,  but  Charles  Morgan  had  the 
good  fortune  to  be  the  man  of  the  hour,  and  the  fact 
that  he  secured  precisely  the  information  that  was 
desired  at  one  of  the  critical  stages  of  the  Revolution 
stamps  him  as  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  intelli- 
gence and  resourcefulness.  Nothing  succeeds  like  suc- 
cess, and  Morgan  succeeded  far  beyond  his  most  san- 
guine expectations. 

General  Lafayette  had  reached  a  point  in  his  cam- 
paign where  he  desired  to  obtain  accurate  information 
regarding  the  resources  and  intentions  of  the  enemy. 
He  had  been  worrying  Cornwallis  for  several  weeks 
and  in  the  summer  of   1781  the  British  commander 

145 


146    THE  WORLD  ^S  GREATEST  SPIES 

reached  Virginia  after  vainly  pursuing  the  French  gen- 
eral and  destroying  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  prop- 
erty. Eventually  he  reached  Yorktown,  on  a  narrow 
peninsula  at  the  mouth  of  the  York  River,  He  had 
no  desire  to  go  to  this  place,  but  did  so  because  there 
was  nothing  else  to  do  under  the  circumstances.  Dur- 
ing his  chase  of  Lafayette  he  boastingly  said:  "The 
boy  cannot  escape  me,"  but  to  his  amazement  the 
youngster  with  a  larger  army  had  turned  around  and 
begun  to  chase  him.  It  was  then  that  Cornwallis  had 
retreated  to  Yorktown  in  order  to  get  help  by  sea  from 
New  York.  There  he  began  the  work  of  fortifying 
himself,  little  dreaming  that  he  was  placing  himself  in 
a  trap  from  which  it  would  be  almost  impossible  to 
escape.  While  he  was  waiting  for  the  soldiers  to  ar- 
rive from  New  York  a  French  fleet  of  warships  under 
Count  de  Grasse  was  coming  to  block  him.  This  was 
the  great  opportunity  of  the  Continental  army  to  strike 
a  blow  that  might  be  heard  around  the  world.  Wash- 
ington's plan,  and  it  was  concurred  in  by  Lafayette, 
was  to  march  rapidly  south  from  the  Hudson  to  York- 
town,  and,  with  the  help  of  the  French  fleet  on  one  side 
and  Lafayette  and  his  army  on  the  other,  to  capture 
Cornwallis  with  his  whole  force.  Needless  to  say,  a 
movement  of  this  character  required  an  immense  sum 
of  money  for  provisions,  pay  and  powder.  In  this 
crisis  Robert  Morris,  patriot  and  Philadelphia  finan- 
cier, came  to  the  rescue  and  furnished  nearly 
$1,500,000  for  the  work  of  putting  the  patriot  army 
in  the  proper  condition. 

Lafayette  disposed  his   forces  with  great  military 


PRIVATE  :\rORGAN  147 

ability,  but  there  were  some  points  in  the  proposed  plan 
of  campaign  which  were  not  quite  clear  to  his  mind. 
He  was  anxious  to  procure  exact  information  of  the 
strength  of  the  forces  under  Cornwallis,  and  if  possible 
to  learn  the  exact  nature  of  that  general's  plan  of  cam- 
paign. He  looked  about  him  for  some  courageous  and 
intelligent  man  who  could  obtain  the  information  he 
desired.  His  choice  fell  upon  Charles  ^^lorgan,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  New  Jersey  Brigade,  who  had  attracted  his 
attention  by  bravery  in  battle.  He  sent  for  Morgan 
and  told  him  that  he  considered  him  a  proper  agent  for 
the  accomplishment  of  his  purpose  and  proposed  that 
he  should  enter  the  British  camp  in  the  character  of  a 
deserter,  but  in  reality  a  spy. 

The  soldier  was  delighted  at  the  thought  of  being 
selected  for  such  a  hazardous  enterprise.  Lafayette 
at  that  time  was  in  all  the  glory  of  his  young'manhood. 
To  Morgan  he  was  the  very  embodiment  of  romance. 
He  had  looked  upon  him  for  months  with  wonder  and 
delight.  He  was  to  him  the  bright  particular  hero  of 
the  Revolution.  That  a  man  should  give  up  family, 
friends  and  fortune,  and  all  of  the  prospects  of  a  great 
career,  should  leave  his  own  country  to  go  to  a  foreign 
shore  for  the  purpose  of  casting  his  lot  with  the  strug- 
gling colonists,  made  him  sublimely  heroic.  The 
courtly  airs  of  the  young  nobleman  also  captivated  the 
imagination  of  the  New  Jersey  soldier.  Morgan, 
before  entering  the  army,  had  been  a  farmer.  He  was 
sturdy  and  wholesome,  yet  without  the  benefits  of  an 
education,  and  the  French  general  dazzled  him  with  his 
simplicity   of    manner   no   less   than   by   his    natural 


148    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

assumption  of  authority.  He  could  scarcely  believe 
his  ears  when  he  was  told  that  he  was  to  act  as  the 
confidential  agent  of  the  General  in  such  an  important 
enterprise. 

"  This  mission,"  said  Lafayette,  '  is  a  dangerous 
one.  It  may  cost  you  your  life.  Under  the  circum- 
stances I  am  not  willing  to  order  you  to  do  what  I 
desire.  H  you  go  to  the  camp  of  Cornwallis  it  must 
be  a  voluntary  act,  and  with  the  full  understanding  of 
its  possible  consequences." 

"  I  am  perfectly  willing,"  was  the  prompt  reply, 
"  and  am  glad  to  serve  you  and  my  country." 

The  Marquis  beamed  upon  him  with  satisfaction  in 
his  countenance.  He  spoke  to  him  in  a  fatherly  man- 
ner and  added : 

"  Now,  if  there  is  any  assistance  you  require  from 
me,  either  with  money  or  men,  do  not  hesitate  to  ask 
for  it." 

Morgan  shook  his  head. 

"  None  at  all.  I  am  glad  to  take  the  risk,  but  I 
would  not  like  to  do  this  work  unless  my  motives  are 
perfectly  understood.  I  only  ask  one  thing  and  that 
is  that  if  I  should  be  detected  and  executed  you  will 
cause  a  notice  to  be  inserted  in  the  New  Jersey  papers 
saying  that  I  was  acting  under  the  orders  of  my  com- 
manding officer." 

The  required  condition  was  readily  accepted  by  the 
General,  who  then  proceeded  to  explain  just  what  he 
wished  to  ascertain. 

That  night  Morgan  entered  the  British  lines  in  the 
guise  of  a  deserter,  and  was  warmly  welcomed  by  the 


GENERAL    LAFAYETTE 


PRIVATE  MORGAN  149 

English  soldiers.     The  officer  who  first  met  him  looked 
at  Morgan  with  some  curiosity, 'and  said: 

"  Why  did  you  leave  the  rebels?     Were  you  afraid 
that  they  were  about  to  be  defeated  ?  " 

Morgan  protested  warmly  that  he  had  no  such 
thought  in  his  mind. 

"  I  have  been  with  the  American  army  from  the 
beginning  of  the  war,"  he  said,  "  and  I  went  into  the 
contest  with  all  my  heart  and  soul.  While  I  served 
with  General  Washington  I  was  perfectly  satisfied  and 
I  would  have  gone  until  the  end,  but  when  they  put  me 
under  the  charge  of  a  Frenchman  I  felt  that  it  was  time 
to  call  a  halt.  I  was  unwilling  to  fight  under  a  for- 
eigner. I  did  not  like  it,  I  chafed  under  it.  and  finally 
I  made  up  my  mind  to  desert,  and  here  I  am." 

With  this  story,  which  was  given  with  an  air  of  the 

greatest  plausibility,  the  British  were  satisfied.     They 

received  the  supposed  deserter  without  suspicion  and 

assigned  him  to  duty  as  a  soldier  in  one  of  the  English 

regiments.     But  before  going  on  actual  duty  the  young 

man  was  taken  to  Cornwallis  and  his  story  repeated. 

The  British  general  was  attired  in  all  the  glory  of 

his  high  office  and  the  members  of  his  stafT  presented  a 

glittering  array  of  gold  lace.     Morgan  could  not  help 

but   contrast    their   prosperous    appearance    with    the 

shabby   and    threadbare   condition    of   the    American 

army.     Cornwallis  was  an  imposing  looking  man  who 

evidently  was  filled  with  the  importance  of  his  rank. 

He  spoke  harshly  enough  to  his  officers,  but  assumed  a 

kindly  manner  with  the  deserter  from  the  American 

ranks. 


150    THE  WOELD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

"  How  many  men  has  Lafayette  under  his  com- 
mand? "  he  asked. 

Morgan  gave  a  quick  reply,  giving  the  number  at 
much  less  than  the  actual  force  under  the  French  gen- 
eral. 

*'  How  long  will  it  take  the  Marquis  to  cross  the 
James  River?  "  asked  Cornwallis. 

"  Three  hours,  my  lord,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Three  hours,"  exclaimed  Cornwallis.  "  Don't  you 
think  it  is  more  likely  to  take  three  days?  " 

"  Not  at  all,  my  lord,"  w^as  the  response.  "  The 
Marquis  has  a  certain  number  of  boats,  and  each  boat 
will  carry  a  certain  number  of  men,  and  if  your  Lord- 
ship will  take  the  trouble  of  calculating  you  can  find 
that  he  can  cross  the  stream  in  about  three  hours." 

Cornwallis  turned  to  his  of^cers  and  began  speaking 
in  an  undertone  to  them.  There  was  much  discussion 
and  a  great  deal  of  shaking  of  heads,  and  finally  the 
Earl  said  in  the  hearing  of  Morgan : 

"  The  scheme  will  not  do.  We  will  have  to  change 
some  of  the  lines."' 

After  that  Morgan  was  assigned  to  his  position  with 
one  of  the  English  regiments.  He  was  a  hale  fellow 
well  met,  and  it  did  not  take  him  long  to  win  their  con- 
fidence. The  circumstances  under  which  he  had  come 
to  the  British  army  gave  him  considerable  latitude  and 
he  was  able  to  go  and  come  pretty  much  as  he  pleased. 
He  talked  freely  with  the  officers  and  they,  in  turn, 
regarding  him  as  a  zealous  convert  to  their  cause,  did 
not  hesitate  to  furnish  him  with  the  kind  of  informa- 
tion which  he  most  desired.     Once  or  twice  after  that 


PRIVATE  MORGAN  151 

he  was  called  before  CornwalHs  and  cross-questioned 
concerning  the  plans  of  the  .American  army.  He  stood 
this  ordeal  with  amazing  self-possession,  and  by  his 
native  shrewdness  managed  to  obtain  much  more 
information  than  he  gave,  the  difference  being  that  his 
news  was  the  product  of  his  imagination,  while  the 
information  he  obtained  was  accurate  and  clearly  out- 
lined the  movement  of  the  forces  under  Cornwallis. 

Morgan  became  the  special  friend  of  four  of  the 
men  in  his  regiment.  After  some  weeks  they  began 
to  tell  him  of  their  troubles.  They  looked  upon  him  as 
a  superior  and  indicated  by  their  manner  a  desire  to 
follow  his  advice.  Each  soldier  was  allowed  a  certain 
amount  of  grog  each  day,  and  he  further  increased 
their  regard  for  him  by  dividing  his  liquor  with  them. 
Presently  they  began  to  complain  of  the  privations  to 
which  they  had  been  subjected  in  the  British  camp. 
He  listened  with  ready  sympathy  and  when  he  felt  that 
the  time  was  ripe  assured  them  privately  that  the 
American  army  was  at  the  present  time  enjoying  a 
plentiful  supply  of  provisions.  He  also  assured  them 
that  the  victory  of  the  American  cause  was  as  certain 
as  that  the  sun  would  rise  in  the  morning.  Finally,  he 
proposed  that  they  should  all  desert  and  go  over  to  the 
American  army.  The  Englishmen  were  familiar  with 
the  passwords  and  numbered  the  sentries  among  their 
personal  friends.  This  helped  to  make  Morgan's 
return  to  his  own  army  comparatively  easy. 

Their  plans  were  carefully  made  and  shortly  before 
midnight  the  five  men,  headed  by  Morgan,  left  the  Brit- 
ish camp.     They  were  halted  by  a  sentinel,  who  told 


152    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

them  that  they  would  not  be  permitted  to  leave  the 
British  lines  without  a  passport. 

"  We  are  only  on  a  lark,"  Morgan  assured  him,  "  and 
if  you  will  let  us  go  by  we  will  promise  to  return  before 
daylight." 

"  But  if  I  do,  it  will  get  me  into  trouble,"  insisted 
the  man. 

"  Not  at  all,"  was  the  ready  retort.  "  You  let  us  go 
and  we  will  see  that  no  harm  comes  to  you." 

As  a  further  proof  of  friendship  the  American  pro- 
duced the  canteen  which  he  had  brought  with  him  and 
gave  the  sentinel  a  liberal  draught  of  the  rum.  They 
remained  talking  with  him  for  a  few  minutes  and  then 
treated  him  to  a  second  drink.  After  that  he  was  in 
the  humor  to  pass  the  entire  regiment  without  either 
explanations  or  passports. 

The  experience  which  they  had  with  this  first  man 
was  repeated  with  two  other  sentinels,  and  eventually 
they  found  themselves  outside  of  the  British  lines  and 
headed  toward  the  American  camp. 

It  was  an  unpleasant  journey.  They  had  to  make 
their  way  through  swampy  ground  and  several  times 
found  themselves  up  to  their  ankles  in  mud  and  water. 
The  British  deserters  were  very  much  depressed  and 
at  one  stage  of  the  trip  would  have  gladly  returned  to 
their  own  camp,  but  Morgan  had  gone  too  far  to  per- 
mit anything  of  that  kind.  He  continued  to  furnish 
them  with  liquor  and  in  this  way  kept  their  courage 
buoyed  up  to  the  sticking  point.  Finally,  just  before 
daylight,  they  found  themselves  within  sight  of  the 
American  lines.     The  sun  was  shining  when  Morgan 


PRIVATE  MORGAN  153 

reached  the  American  camp  with  the  four  British 
deserters  traihng  at  his  heels,  lie  was  received  with 
great  deHght  by  his  fellow  patriots  and  almost  imme- 
diately escorted  to  the  headquarters  of  General  Lafay- 
ette. The  Marquis  hastened  to  meet  him  and  eagerly 
clapped  him  on  the  back. 

"  My  friend,"  he  said,  "  I  am  delighted  to  see  you 
again  —  to  see  you  in  the  flesh." 

"  I  have  carried  out  your  instructions,"  said  Morgan, 
modestly. 

"  So  I  presume.     But  who  is  it  you  have  with  you  ?  " 

"  These  are  four  British  soldiers  who  have  decided 
to  give  themselves  to  the  cause  of  liberty." 

The  General  directed  that  the  recruits  be  fed  and 
clothed  and  enlisted  in  the  regiment  to  which  Morgan 
was  attached.  After  that  he  made  Morgan  sit  down 
and  tell  the  story  of  his  stay  in  the  camp  of  Corn- 
wallis.  This  he  was  able  to  do  with  intelligence  and  in 
great  detail.  Lafayette  thus  obtained  the  information 
which  he  desired.  He  praised  his  messenger  highly 
and  told  him  that  he  would  commend  him  to  the  good 
offices  of  General  Washington.  In  the  meantime  he 
proposed  to  promote  him  to  the  rank  of  corporal,  with 
the  promise  of  still  further  promotion  in  the  near 
future.     But  the  volunteer  spy  shook  his  head. 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  goodness.  I  appreciate  it 
greatly,  but  I  do  not  desire  to  go  above  the  rank  of  an 
ordinary  private.  I  have  ability  for  a  common  soldier, 
but  should  I  be  promoted,  my  aliilit}-  may  not  be  equal 
to  the  occasion,  and  I  would  thus  lose  my  character." 
General  Lafayette  laughed  heartily  at  this  unusual 


154    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

display  of  modesty,  but  assured  Alorgan  that  his  serv- 
ices would  not  be  forgotten  and  that  at  the  proper  time 
he  would  be  rewarded  for  his  sacrifice  and  his  heroism. 
Lafayette  was  now  in  a  position  to  act  with  intelli- 
gence. The  information  that  had  been  brought  to  him 
by  his  spy  fortunately  did  not  make  it  necessary  for  him 
to  change  his  plan  of  campaign.  He  was  in  communi- 
cation with  other  Continental  officers  and  kept  con- 
stantly informed  of  the  progress  of  the  campaign.  He 
discovered  many  other  things ;  that  Clinton,  at  the  head 
of  the  British  forces  in  New  York,  was  under  the 
impression  that  Washington  was  getting  ready  to 
attack  him.  Washington  encouraged  him  to  think  so. 
In  order  that  the  British  general  should  not  be  disillu- 
sioned, the  American  continued  to  make  every  possible 
preparation  for  moving  against  New  York.  So  clev- 
erly was  this  ruse  carried  on  that  the  members  of 
Washington's  own  army  supposed  that  he  was  really 
getting  ready  to  attack  Clinton.  When  at  length 
everything  was  just  as  he  wished  it,  Washington  sud- 
denly broke  camp  and  conducted  his  entire  force  with 
all  possible  speed  across  the  country  to  the  head  of 
Chesapeake  Bay  and  thus  by  vessels  to  Yorktown.  It 
was  truly  a  critical  time  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
While  Washington  was  continuing  his  southern  move- 
ment Lafayette  and  his  army  closed  in  on  the  other 
side.  The  British  realized  that  they  were  gradually 
becoming  the  victims  of  a  vast  enveloping  movement. 
Cornwallis  put  his  spy  glass  to  his  eye  and  peered  over 
the  walls  of  his  fortified  town.  On  one  side  he  beheld 
the  French  fleet,  on  the  other  side  Washington's  troops. 


PRIVATE  ^lORGxVN  155 

and  on  still  another,  Lafayette's  army.  The  Ameri- 
cans, 16,000  strong,  were  gradually  but  surely  coming 
closer  and  closer.  Cornwallis  held  out  with  great  brav- 
ery for  three  weeks,  but  the  constant  rain  of  shells  and 
hot  shot  made  his  position  almost  impossible.  Finally, 
seeing  that  it  was  useless  to  struggle  against  fate,  he 
surrendered.  His  army  marched  out  on  the  19th  of 
October,  1781,  to  the  tune  of  "The  World's  Upside 
Down."  and  it  was  —  at  least  to  the  British.  They 
were  dazed  and  could  not  understand  how  such  a  pow- 
erful army  and  such  a  great  empire  should  fall  victims 
to  what  seemed  to  be  a  handful  of  untrained  farmers. 
But  in  spite  of  their  feeling  it  was  over,  and  they  were 
the  vanquished. 

The  fall  of  Yorktown  practically  ended  the  war  of 
the  Revolution.  Washington  had  conquered.  Lafay- 
ette's confidence  in  the  struggling  colonists  was  fully 
vindicated  and  his  great  respect  for  George  Washing- 
ton increased.  As  has  been  said,  it  was  the  victory  of 
a  great  and  good  man  in  a  great  and  good  cause. 

The  news  of  the  surrender  was  sent  post-haste  to 
London.  The  excited  messenger  w^ho  announced  the 
sad  tidings  to  Lord  North,  the  Prime  Minister  of  the 
British  Government,  afterw-ards  said  that  that  func- 
tionary threw  up  his  arms  as  though  he  had  received  a 
shot  and  cried  dramatically  : 

''It  is  all  over!" 

And  so  it  was ;  and  in  the  victory  at  Yorktow^n  none 
of  the  Continental  troops  fought  more  bravely  or 
showed  to  greater  advantage  than  those  who  served 
under  the  leadership  of  Lafayette.     Among  the  pri- 


156    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

rates  in  the  New  Jersey  Brigade  none  fought  with 
greater  courage  than  Charles  Morgan,  who  had  served 
as  the  personal  spy  of  the  great  Frenchman  in  the  camp 
of  Cornwallis.  But  in  his  case  virtue  and  courage  had 
to  be  their  own  reward.  Many  of  the  soldiers  who 
deserved  great  honor  were  compelled  to  go  unrewarded, 
and  Charles  Morgan  was  apparently  one  of  these,  for 
after  his  exploit,  and  the  ending  of  the  war,  his  name 
does  not  appear  in  any  of  the  records  of  that  great 
event.  Like  many  other  deserving  men,  he  was  lost  in 
the  mists  of  obscurity. 


XI 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  AND  ROMANTIC  CASE 
OF  GENERAL  NAPPER  TANDY 


XI 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  AND  ROMANTIC  CASE 
OF  GENERAL  NAPPER  TANDY 

DURING  the  Napoleonic  wars  scores  of  military 
spies  were  sent  from  England  and  France,  and 
most  of  them  performed  their  work  so  well 
that  posterity  has  not  even  been  given  the  benefit  of 
their  names.  Perhaps  the  most  industrious  of  these 
was  a  man  who  was  simply  known  as  "  O."  He  was 
constantly  in  communication  with  the  English  Govern- 
ment and  he  kept  Pitt,  the  English  Prime  Minister, 
informed  of  the  movements  of  certain  Irishmen  who 
had  left  their  own  country  to  enlist  under  the  banner 
of  Napoleon. 

One  of  the  most  conspicuous  of  these  was  General 
Napper  Tandy,  who  urged  upon  the  Man  of  Destiny 
the  advisability  of  attacking  England  by  making  a 
descent  upon  the  coast  of  Ireland.  For  more  than  a 
half-century  the  greatest  mystery  hovered  about  the 
name  and  the  identity  of  General  Napper  Tandy.  But 
it  was  finally  cleared  up  through  the  persistence  and 
the  painstaking  efforts  of  William  J.  Fitzpatrick,  the 
Irish  historian,  but  only  after  he  had  secured  the  per- 
mission of  the  English  Government  to  make  an  exam- 
ination of  the  secret  archives  of  Dublin  Castle. 

160 


160    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

As  a  result  of  that,  we  now  know  that  Tandy  was  an 
adventurous  soul  who  was  willing  to  fight  at  the  drop 
of  a  hat.  He  is  described  in  Government  reports  as 
an  "  arch  rebel/'  and  it  is  certain  that  he  took  part  in 
various  Irish  uprisings  against  the  English  Govern- 
ment. He  went  over  to  France  about  1796  and  identi- 
fied himself  with  Napoleon.  He  was  a  brave  man, 
with  much  knowledge  of  military  strategy  and 
undoubtedly  made  an  impression  upon  one  who  was 
regarded  as  the  greatest  military  strategist  of  his 
day. 

That  Napoleon  thought  well  of  the  proposed  inva- 
sion of  Ireland  is  proven  by  his  negotiations  with 
Thomas  Addis  Emmet.  The  correspondence  of  the 
great  Corsican  makes  that  fact  clear.  But  Emmet 
accused  him  of  coldness  and  indecision  on  the  Irish 
program,  because,  instead  of  going  to  Ireland  in  1798, 
he  changed  his  plans  and  went  to  Egypt. 

However,  there  was  never  any  doubt  about  the  plans 
of  General  Tandy,  and  the  manner  in  which  he  carried 
them  out  is  part  of  the  secret  history  of  the  times.  A 
meeting  to  arrange  the  details  was  held  in  Paris,  and 
was  attended  by  Messrs.  Blackwell,  Morres,  Tandy 
and  Corbett.  Unfortunately  for  them,  there  was 
another  person  present,  and  that  was  the  English  spy 
who  became  known  later  from  the  fact  that  he  signed 
all  of  his  communications  to  the  English  Government 
with  the  letter  "  O." 

Mr.  Fitzpatrick,  after  the  most  exhaustive  re- 
searches, is  convinced  that  this  spy  was  a  man  named 
Orr,  who  had  been  on  Pitt's  payroll  for  a  long  time. 


GENERAL  XAPPER  TANDY   161 

He  had  been  a  thorn  in  the  side  of  Napoleon  for  years, 
and  even  before  the  meeting  whicii  Tandy  held  in  Paris 
had  sent  a  note  to  his  chief  in  which  he  said : 

"  The  grand  object  of  the  French  is,  as  they  term  it 
themselves,  London.  Dclanda  CartJiago  is  their  par- 
ticular end ;  once  in  England,  they  think  they  would 
speedily  indemnify  themselves  for  all  their  expenses 
and  recruit  their  ruined  finances." 

It  is  certain  that  "  O  "  was  not  only  present  at  the 
meeting  to  arrange  for  the  expedition  into  Ireland,  but 
that  he  made  suggestions  regarding  the  details  of  that 
historic  trip.  It  is  interesting  to  know  that  before  the 
ship  set  sail  full  particulars  of  it  had  been  sent  by  "  O  " 
to  his  English  employers.  He  even  goes  so  far  as  to 
make  sport  of  the  finances  of  the  French  nation  at  that 
time. 

"  Three  generals  are  to  go  out  on  the  little  expedi- 
tion," he  w'rites,  "  and  all  the  money  they  can  muster 
between  them  is  thirty  louis  d'or.  One  of  them,  to  my 
certain  knowledge,  has  but  five  guineas  in  all." 

Tandy  sailed  from  Dunkirk  in  the  French  ship  An- 
acreon,  which  was  well  stocked  with  a  store  of  ord- 
nance, ammunition,  saddles  and  accouterments.  He 
was  accompanied  by  a  large  staff  including  Corbett 
and  Blackwell.  One  of  his  aides-de-camp  was  Orr,  the 
spy,  w^ho  kept  at  his  elbow  constantly,  and  learned  all  of 
his  most  secret  plans  and  hopes.  Before  the  gallant 
ship  raised  anchor  there  was  a  conference  in  the  cabin 
concerning  the  most  desirable  landing  place.  Maps  of 
Ireland  were  consulted,  and  it  was  finally  decided  that 
the  safest,  if  not  the  most  secluded  stretch  of  country, 


162     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

was  along  the  coast  of  Donegal.  General  Napper 
Tandy  was  in  fine  fettle.  He  wore  a  most  gorgeous 
uniform  with  gold  lace  and  brass  buttons,  and  alto- 
gether made  an  impressive  appearance.  Like  many 
brave  men,  he  was  a  dandy  in  dress  and  manner,  and 
when  not  fighting,  devoted  much  time  to  his  toilet. 
The  journey  to  Ireland  was  comparatively  uneventful, 
but  all  of  those  aboard  the  Anacreon  were  glad  to  see 
the  shores  of  the  Green  Isle. 

Tandy  was  very  much  concerned  regarding  another 
expedition  which  had  set  sail  for  Ireland  about  a  week 
before  the  departure  of  his  own  party.  This  was  in 
charge  of  General  Humbert,  and  was  expected  to 
clear  the  way  for  the  Tandy  invasion.  As  the  ship 
approached  the  shore  General  Tandy  hoisted  a  green 
flag  at  the  masthead  of  the  Anacreon.  It  had  on  it 
the  words,  "  Erin  go  Bragh,"  and  was  intended  as  a 
signal  to  the  Irishmen  who  were  to  join  in  an  attack 
on  the  British.  He  also  had  with  him  for  distribution, 
printed  copies  of  a  proclamation  addressed  to  the  peo- 
ple of  Ireland.  It  was  headed  "  Liberty  or  Death," 
and  contained  a  drawing  of  the  Irish  harp  and  the  cap 
of  liberty,  and  began  with  the  words:  "  Horrid  crimes 
have  been  perpetrated  in  your  country,  your  friends 
have  fallen  a  sacrifice  to  their  devotion  to  your  cause, 
and  their  shadows  are  around  you  and  call  for  venge- 
ance." Little  did  Tandy  imagine  that  copies  of  these 
proclamations  were  already  in  the  hands  of  the  British, 
and  that  the  spy  who  had  forwarded  them  was  then  on 
the  ship  with  him.  If  Orr  felt  any  apprehension  he  did 
not  show  it  in  his  manner,  yet  he  must  have  known  that 


GENERAL  NAPPER  TANDY   163 

if  discovered  he  would  ha\e  been  hanged  to  the  mast 
arm  of  the  vessel. 

Tandy  landed  in  company  with  General  Ray,  a 
French  soldier  who  had  seen  service  with  Napoleon. 
In  a  short  time  they  were  surrounded  by  a  large  num- 
ber of  people  who  looked  upon  the  invaders  with 
amazement  and  alarm.  To  them  General  Ray  made  a 
grandiloquent  speech,  in  the  course  of  which  he  said: 

"  The  soldiers  of  the  Great  Nation  have  landed  on 
your  coast  well  supplied  with  arms  and  ammunition  of 
all  kinds,  and  with  artillery  worked  by  those  who  have 
spread  terror  amongst  the  ranks  of  the  best  troops  in 
Europe,  headed  by  French  officers ;  they  come  to  break 
your  fetters  and  restore  you  to  the  blessings  of  liberty. 
General  Napper  Tandy  is  at  their  head ;  he  has  sworn 
to  lead  them  on  to  victory  or  die.  Brave  Irishmen ! 
The  friends  of  liberty  have  left  their  native  soil  to 
assist  you  in  reconquering  your  rights ;  they  wnll  brave 
the  dangers,  and  glory  at  the  sublime  idea  of  cementing 
your  happiness  with  their  blood." 

General  Tandy  made  his  headquarters  with  Mr.  Fos- 
ter, who  lived  near  the  coast  of  Donegal,  and  after  par- 
taking of  refreshments  he  said  to  that  gentleman: 

"  What  news  have  you  got  to  give  me  regarding  the 
expedition  that  landed  last  week  ?  " 

"  Not  very  good  —  for  you  at  least,"  said  Foster, 
who  was  an  ardent  Royalist.  "  Part  of  the  French 
troops  landed  at  Killala,  and  after  winning  the  battle 
of  Castlebar  have  been  finally  compelled  to  capitulate 
to  Lord  Cornwallis." 

*'  I  cannot  believe  it,"  explaimed  Tandy. 


164    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

"  It  is  true,"  was  the  grim  reply,  "  whether  you 
believe  it  or  not." 

In  order  to  assure  himself  of  the  truthfulness  of  the 
intelligence,  General  Tandy  took  forcible  possession 
of  the  Rutland  postoffice,  which  was  kept  by  Mr.  Fos- 
ter's sister.  He  opened  the  newspapers,  and  to  his  dis- 
may found  that  all  he  had  been  told  was  perfectly  cor- 
rect. He  realized  that  the  usefulness  of  his  own  expe- 
dition was  destroyed.  Indeed,  he  learned  further  that 
a  large  body  of  British  troops  was  already  on  its  way 
to  Rutland  to  capture  the  latest  invaders.  Under  the 
circumstances  the  only  thing  left  for  him  to  do  was  to 
retire  with  as  little  loss  as  possible. 

The  thoughtfulness  of  this  soldier  of  fortune  was 
illustrated  by  the  fact  that  he  wrote  an  official  letter, 
signed  and  sealed,  exonerating  Foster  from  blame  for 
not  having  dispatched  his  mail  bags.  He  testified  that, 
being  in  temporary  want  of  accommodation,  he  was 
obliged  to  put  Citizen  Foster  under  requisition,  and  to 
place  sentinels  around  the  island. 

It  is  also  a  curious  fact  that  he  and  his  officers  paid 
for  everything  they  took,  including  two  pigs  and  a  cow. 
General  Ray,  when  leaving,  removed  a  gold  ring  from 
his  finger  and  presented  it  to  Mrs.  Foster  as  a  token  of 
fraternity.  Finally,  this  arch  rebel,  after  paying  all  of 
his  obligations,  discharged  a  cannon  as  a  farewell  note 
to  the  people  of  Donegal. 

The  Anacreon  had  scarcely  started  on  her  way 
when  Foster  dispatched  two  messengers  to  the  proper 
authorities  in  the  hope  that  part  of  the  British  fleet 
might  intercept  the  invaders.     This  was  not  so  easy  as 


GENERAL  NAPPER  TANDY   165 

it  looked,  because  Tandy  had  already  told  Foster  that 
they  had  met  several  English  cruisers  on  their  way  to 
Ireland  and  had  outsailed  them  all.  The  Anacrcon 
proved  to  be  equally  successful  on  its  return  voyage, 
capturing  two  English  ships  near  the  Orkneys  after  a 
stiff  engagement,  and  finally  landing  Tandy  and  his 
associates  in  Norway.  They  landed  at  Bergen,  and 
after  suffering  many  trials  and  tribulations,  sought  to 
reach  France  by  land.  The  cold  became  so  intense  that 
people  were  found  frozen  to  death  at  the  gate  of  Ham- 
burg. Weary  and  footsore,  Tandy  arrived  there  at 
twilight  on  November  22,  1798. 

There  he  was  met  by  a  man  named  Turner  who  was 
really  a  spy  associated  with  Orr,  but  seeming  to  recog- 
nize in  him  a  fellow  Irishman,  Tandy  at  once  gave  him 
his  confidence  and  eagerly  accepted  an  invitation  from 
him  to  take  supper.  It  has  been  said,  but  with  how 
much  truth  cannot  be  vouched  for,  that  Turner  was  one 
of  those  who  was  compelled  to  fly  from  his  native  land 
on  account  of  the  "  Wearing  of  the  Green."  At  all 
events  there  was  a  verse  in  the  popular  ballad  which 
ran  thus : 

"  I  met  with  Napper  Tandy  and  he  took  me  by  the 
hand, 
And  he  said,  *  How's  poor  old  Ireland,  and  how 
does  she  stand, 
'  'Tis  a  most  distressful  country  for  it's  plainly  to 
be  seen, 
Thev  are  hanging  men  and  women  for  the  "  Wear- 
ing of  the  Green."  '  " 


166    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

Little  did  Tandy  suspect  that  when  he  accepted  this 
invitation  to  supper  he  was  walking  into  a  trap  that  had 
been  set  for  him.  Tandy  and  his  fellow  officers  were 
lodged  at  an  inn  in  Hamburg  called  the  American 
Arms,  and  after  finishing  their  meal  they  retired  to 
their  respective  rooms.  Tandy  occupied  himself  in 
writing  letters.  He  had  many  reports  to  make  and 
explanations  concerning  the  failure  of  his  expedition. 
He  stayed  up  nearly  all  night,  and  about  five  o'clock 
in  the  morning  was  startled  by  a  loud  tapping  at  his 
bedroom  door.  He  opened  it  and  an  officer  walked  in 
followed  by  Sir  James  Crawford,  British  Minister  at 
Hamburg.  The  officer  turned  to  the  Irishman  and 
said : 

"  I  would  like  to  have  a  look  at  your  passport." 

Tandy,  although  taken  by  surprise,  was  perfectly 
composed. 

"  If  you  will  wait  a  moment,"  he  said,  "  I  will  get 
it  for  you." 

Turning  around  and  going  over  to  his  trunk  he  lifted 
the  lid  very  carefully  and  took  out  a  pistol  which  he 
pointed  at  the  soldier,  exclaiming  as  he  did  so : 

"  This  is  my  passport!  " 

The  officer,  who  had  the  courage  of  his  convictions, 
made  a  rush  at  him  and  succeeded  in  deflecting  the  aim 
of  the  pistol.  The  next  moment  the  guards  rushed  in 
and  secured  Tandy.  Before  daylight  he  and  his  asso- 
ciates were  handcuffed  and  confined  in  the  local  prison 
by  order  of  Sir  James  Crawford. 

A  few  hours  after  the  arrest  of  the  culprits  Mon- 
sieur Maragan,  the  French  resident,  wrote  to  the  Sen- 


GENERAL  NAPPER  TANDY   167 

ate  at  Hamburg  claiming  Tandy  and  his  colleagues  as 
French  citizens  and  threatening  to  leave  the  place  un- 
less they  were  released.  The  British  minister  opposed 
this  demand  very  forcibly,  and,  needless  to  say,  carried 
his  point.  The  French  charge  d'affaires  noticed  that 
Tandy  was  in  very  poor  health  and  it  is  said  that  he 
offered  a  large  sum  to  the  officer  of  the  guard  to  per- 
mit the  Irishman's  escape.  But  the  influence  of  the 
British  minister  was  strong  enough  to  overcome  all 
obstacles  from  the  French  side  of  the  house.  The  ac- 
tion of  the  Senate  at  Hamburg  in  giving  Tandy  and 
his  colleagues  over  to  the  British  created  quite  a  sen- 
sation, and  was  the  cause  of  a  prolonged  controversy. 

That  Tandy  suffered  dreadfully  from  his  confine- 
ment is  proven  by  many  letters  and  papers  that  have 
since  come  to  light.  His  sufferings  in  prison  he  said 
were  so  severe  that  life  was  a  burden,  and  more  than 
once  he  prayed  to  be  led  out  on  the  ramparts  and  shot. 
John  Philpot  Curran,  writing  of  his  sufferings,  says : 

"  He  was  confined  in  a  dungeon  little  larger  than  a 
grave.  He  was  loaded  with  irons ;  he  was  chained  by 
an  iron  that  communicated  from  his  arm  to  his  leg  and 
that  was  so  short  as  to  grind  into  his  flesh.  Food  was 
cut  into  shapeless  lumps  and  flung  to  him  by  his  keep- 
.ers  as  he  lay  on  the  ground,  as  if  he  had  been  a  beast; 
he  had  no  bed  to  lie  on,  not  even  straw  to  coil  himself 
up  on,  if  he  could  have  slept." 

Corbett,  who  was  one  of  the  prisoners,  gives  details 
of  the  detention  which  are  hardly  less  painful. 

"  What  happened  to  me."  he  writes.  "  would  have 
naturally  discouraged  and  prevented  me  from  making 


168    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

any  new  attempts;  nevertheless,  I  managed  to  cor- 
respond with  my  two  companions  in  misfortune;  and 
we  all  three  stood  so  well  with  our  guards,  the  greater 
number  of  whom  we  had  gained,  that  we  resolved  to 
arm  ourselves  and  place  ourselves  at  their  head  to 
deliver  Tandy,  who  was  in  another  prison,  and  after- 
wards to  repair  to  the  house  of  the  French  ambassa- 
dor. Our  measures  were  so  well  taken  that  we  hoped 
this  time  at  least  to  recover  our  liberty  in  spite  of  the 
impediments  which  fortune  might  place  in  our  way. 
But  the  same  traitor  who  had  formerly  deranged  my 
plan  discovered  all  to  the  English  minister  Crawford, 
who  immediately  gave  orders  that  our  guard  should  be 
changed  and  even  that  those  of  the  different  posts  of 
Hamburg  should  be  doubled,  which  continued  even  to 
our  departure.  Such  was  the  result  of  the  last  strug- 
gle we  made  to  obtain  our  liberty  at  Hamburg." 

Finally  at  midnight  on  September  29,  1799,  after 
ten  months'  detention,  Tandy  and  his  companions  were 
taken  from  prison  and  put  on  an  English  frigate.  As 
they  were  leaving,  Tandy  said  to  the  ofificer  in  charge : 

"  What  right  did  you  have  to  arrest  us?  You  are 
surely  not  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  we  were  French 
officers." 

The  man  in  charge  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  I  merely  fulfilled  the  orders  of  the  minister  from 
England." 

By  this  time  France  was  venting  its  wrath  unre- 
servedly. It  denounced  the  conduct  of  Hamburg  to 
all  states,  allied  and  neutral.  It  compelled  all  French 
consular  officers  to  quit  the  offending  territory  and 


GENERAL  NAPPER  TANDY   169 

demanded  that  every  agent  of  Hamburg  residing  in 
France  should  leave  in  twenty- four  hours.  The  Sen- 
ate of  Hamburg  now  expressed  regret  at  the  occur- 
rence and  wrote  in  this  vein  to  the  French  authorities. 
"  Your  letter,  gentlemen,''  replied  Napoleon,  "  does 
not  justify  you.  You  have  violated  the  laws  of  hos- 
pitality, a  thing  which  never  happened  among  the  most 
savage  hordes  of  the  desert." 

A  deputation  from  the  Senate  of  Hamburg  arrived 
at  the  Tuileries  to  make  a  public  apology  to  Napoleon. 
Once  again  he  expressed  his  indignation,  and  when  the 
envoys  pleaded  national  weakness,  he  exclaimed : 

"  Well,  and  had  you  not  the  resources  of  weak 
states;  was  it  not  in  your  power  to  let  them  escape?  " 
As  a  result  of  the  incident  Napoleon  laid  a  fine  of 
4,500,000  francs  on  Hamburg.  The  payment  of  this 
large  sum  appeased  the  wrath  of  the  Man  of  Destiny 
and  also,  it  is  slyly  hinted  by  his  secretary,  helped  to 
pay  Josephine's  debts. 

In  the  meanwhile  Tandy  and  his  companions  had 
arrived  in  England.  A  military  escort  accompanied 
them  to  Rochester  and  thence  over  Blackfriars  Bridge 
up  Ludgate  Hill  to  Newgate.  One  of  the  English 
newspapers  of  that  time  thus  describes  the  event : 

"  Had  Bonaparte  and  his  staff  been  sent  here  by  Sir 
Sydney  Smith,  they  could  not  have  excited  more  curi- 
osity than  Tandy  and  his  companions.  A  vast  con- 
course of  people  gathered  at  the  landing  place  and  fol- 
lowed the  prisoners  and  their  escort  to  the  garrison 
gates  where  a  new  guard  was  assembled  ;  and  so  from 
stage  to  stage  to  the  end  of  the  journey  everybody,  old 


170    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

and  young,  male  and  female,  was  anxious  to  get  a 
peep  at  this  wonderful  man  now  become,  from  the 
hope  and  perverseness  of  Ministers,  a  new  bone  of 
contention  among  the  Powers  of  Europe. 

"  Napper  Tandy  is  a  large,  big-boned,  muscular 
man,  much  broken  and  emaciated.  His  hair  is  quite 
white  from  age,  cut  close  behind  into  his  neck,  and 
he  appears  much  enervated.  This  is  indeed  very  natu- 
ral if  it  be  considered  that  he  is  nearly  seventy  years 
of  age  and  has  just  suffered  a  long  and  rigorous  con- 
finement, his  mind  a  constant  prey  of  the  most  painful 
suspense.  He  wore  a  large  friar's  hat,  a  long  silk 
black  greatcoat  and  military  boots,  which  had  a  very 
'  outre '  effect. 

"Of  Blackwell  and  Morres,  the  latter  seemed  to  be 
five  and  thirty.  They  are  two  tall,  handsome  looking 
men.  They  wore  military  dress  and  had  a  very  sol- 
dier like  appearance.  The  first  named  is  a  man  of 
very  enterprising  genius,  about  the  middle  size  and 
apparently  not  more  than  four  or  five  and  twenty,  and 
has  the  look  of  a  foreigner." 

Eventually  Tandy  and  his  companions  were  re- 
moved to  Ireland  and  were  placed  at  the  bar  of  the 
King's  Bench,  when  the  Attorney  General  prayed  that 
sentence  of  death  should  be  passed  upon  them.  The 
case  was  argued  for  several  days  and  finally  Lord 
Kilwarden  ruled  that  Tandy  should  be  discharged. 
But  he  was  scarcely  given  his  liberty  when  he  was 
again  arrested  in  the  district  where,  two  years  before, 
he  had  made  a  hostile  descent  from  France.  He  lay 
in  the  jail  there  for  seven  months,  during  which  time 


GENERAL  NAPPER  TANDY 


GENERAL  NAPPER  TANDY   171 

great  efiforts  were  made  to  insure  the  conviction  of 
what  was  regarded  as  a  very  dangerous  character. 

Tandy,  finding  the  evidence  against  him  overwhelm- 
ing, admitted  the  truth  of  the  indictment  and  was  sen- 
tenced to  die  on  the  4th  of  the  following  May.  Mean- 
while Napoleon,  on  his  return  from  Egypt,  claimed 
Tandy  as  a  French  general  and  held  an  English  pris- 
oner of  equal  rank  a  hostage  for  his  safety.  At  this 
stage  of  the  historic  affair  it  was  not  quite  so  clear 
that  the  English  had  a  legal  claim  to  the  life  of  a  man 
who  wore  the  uniform  of  a  French  general  and  who 
had  been  arrested  under  such  peculiar  circumstances. 
A  pardon  was  eventually  made  out  for  him  on  condi- 
tion of  banishment  to  Botany  Bay.  He  indignantly 
refused  it,  but  was  finally  induced  to  accept  it  on  the 
ground  that  all  that  was  required  was  merely  the  name 
of  transportation,  and  that  if  he  pleased,  it  might  ap- 
pear to  the  world  as  if  he  had  made  his  escape  at  sea. 

Napper  Tandy  arrived  at  Bordeaux  on  the  14th  of 
March,  1802,  where  he  was  received  with  military  hon- 
ors. Bordeaux  was  illuminated  and  the  old  rebel  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  a  general  of  division.  In  the 
midst  of  his  vindication,  as  he  termed  it,  he  read  with 
real  horror  a  speech  of  Pelham's  in  Parliament  saying 
that  he  owed  his  life  to  the  useful  information  and 
discoveries  he  had  given  to  the  British  Government. 
Instantly  he  addressed  a  letter  to  Pelham  branding  the 
statement  as  audacious  and  false.  Mr.  Elliott  repeated 
in  Parliament  the  taunt  cast  by  Pelham,  and  spoke  of 
Tandy's  ignorance  and  insignificant  birth.  Tandy  im- 
mediately   challenged    him    to    a    duel,    saying :     "  A 


172    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

French  officer  must  not  be  insulted  with  impunity,  and 
you,  as  well  as  the  country  which  gave  me  birth  and 
that  which  has  adopted  me,  shall  find  that  I  will  pre- 
serve the  honor  of  my  station." 

When  eight  weeks  had  elapsed  and  Elliott  had  failed 
to  reply,  Tandy  at  once  proclaimed  him  "  A  calumni- 
ator, liar  and  poltroon." 

The  most  curious  part  of  the  whole  business  is  that 
General  Tandy  never  knew  that  he  had  been  betrayed 
by  a  spy  who  was  serving  under  him  as  an  aide-de- 
camp. His  private  character  was  as  clean  as  a  hound's 
tooth,  a  fact  that  led  one  of  his  friends  to  say  that 
"  it  furnished  no  ground  to  doubt  the  integrity  of  his 
public  one." 

But  his  experiences  in  and  out  of  prison  undermined 
his  health,  and  after  a  lingering  illness,  he  died  at 
Bordeaux  in  1803.  By  one  of  the  curious  decrees  of 
destiny  George  Orr,  the  spy,  lived  and  prospered  long 
after  Tandy's  death,  and,  if  rumor  be  correct,  man- 
aged to  accumulate  not  only  English  but  French  gold ! 


XII 


HOW  MONSIEUR  DE  MEINAU  HELPED  TO 

MAKE  JEROME  BONAPARTE  KING  OF 

WESTPHALIA 


XII 

HOW  MONSIEUR  DE  MEINAU  HELPED  TO 

MAKE  JEROME  BONAPARTE  KING  OF 

WESTPHALIA 

AMONG  all  of  the  world's  famous  impostors  it 
is  doubtful  if  any  could  hold  a  candle  to  Mon- 
sieur de  Meinau.  IMonsieur  did  not  always 
have  such  a  dignified  name.  Originally,  it  will  be 
recalled,  he  was  an  Alsatian  smuggler  and  had  the 
plain  every-day  appellation  of  Schulmeister.  But  as 
Napoleon's  chief  spy  his  rise  to  fame  and  fortune  was 
both  sure  and  sudden.  He  was  lavishly  rewarded  by 
the  Man  of  Destiny.  Indeed,  his  appointment  as  Chief 
of  Police  of  Vienna  was  a  fortune  in  itself  and  a  fair 
return  for  the  services  he  had  rendered,  and  the  dan- 
gers he  had  braved  as  the  secret  agent  of  Napoleon. 

But  Napoleon  was  not  yet  satisfied.  He  wished  to 
be  the  King  of  Kings  and  to  reconstruct  Germany, 
Italy  and  the  Netherlands.  His  ambition  was  to  rule 
over  an  empire  that  should  be  encircled  and  guarded 
by  a  belt  of  dependent  thrones.  In  pursuance  of 
this  policy  he  seized  Naples  and  made  his  brother 
Joseph  its  king.  After  that  he  converted  the  Republic 
of  the  Netherlands  into  a  monarchy,  and  placed  his 
brother  Louis  at  its  head  with  the  title  of  the  King  of 
Holland. 

176 


176     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

In  the  meantime  he  needed  more  information  con- 
cerning the  power  and  the  plans  of  those  who  were 
opposed  to  his  designs.  At  this  stage  of  events  he 
once  more  sent  for  his  trusted  spy,  Schulmeister.  He 
had  made  him  Monsieur  de  Meinau,  with  both  the  title 
and  the  estates  that  went  with  it.  But  the  new  Mon- 
sieur knew  his  imperial  patron  well  enough  to  under- 
stand that  he  could  not  rest  on  his  laurels.  With  Na- 
poleon incessant  activity  was  the  price  of  favor. 

As  the  result  of  the  interview  with  the  Emperor 
Monsieur  left  Vienna  with  letters  of  introduction  to 
the  Austrian  officers  at  Oedenburg.  This  was  in  west 
Hungary,  about  thirty-seven  miles  from  the  Austrian 
capitol.  Here  he  learned  that  the  Archduke  Charles 
and  Ferdinand  had  combined  forces  the  day  before 
and  were  preparing  for  a  united  attack  on  the  French 
troops.  This  information  was  exceedingly  important 
and  he  never  rested  until  he  had  forwarded  it  to 
Napoleon. 

After  that  he  felt  entitled  to  a  little  relaxation  and 
he  joined  the  Austrian  officers  in  the  gayeties  of  camp 
life.  He  had  been  hospitably  received  on  his  arrival 
and  now  was  royally  entertained  by  his  new  found 
friends.  His  scarred  forehead  and  his  severe  military 
manner  impressed  them.  Add  to  this  the  fact  that  he 
was  supposed  to  have  undergone  great  privations  and 
dangers  as  an  officer  of  the  Austrian  Secret  Service 
and  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  understand  why  the  sol- 
diers insisted  upon  placing  a  halo  of  romance  around 
his  head.  A  dinner  was  given  in  his  honor  and  on 
this  occasion  the  rascal  actually  entertained  his  hosts 


MONSIEUR  DE  MEINAU  177 

with  stories  of  some  of  his  thrilHng  adventures  in  the 
service  of  the  Fatherland,  ills  methods  were  simple 
enough.  Pie  related  real  exploits,  merely  picturing 
himself  as  an  Austrian  secret  agent  instead  of  a  spy 
of  Napoleon.  His  narratives  were  received  with  ap- 
plause and  manifestations  of  delight. 

The  Austrians  had  been  at  Oedenburg  for  some  time 
and  the  pleasures  of  camp  life  were  beginning  to  affect 
the  discipline  of  the  men.  Schulmeister,  or  rather 
Monsieur  de  Meinau,  was  ordinarily  a  person  of  ab- 
stemious habits,  but  he  could  be  a  jolly  good  fellow 
when  the  occasion  demanded  it,  and  this,  you  may  be 
sure,  was  one  of  the  occasions.  The  flowing  bowl  was 
passed  around  so  often  that  it  was  in  grave  danger  of 
flowing  over.  The  more  wine  the  officers  drank  the 
greater  became  their  affection  for  the  spy.  They  lit- 
erally threw  themselves  around  his  neck,  which  was 
quite  a  generous  thing  to  do  when  we  consider  that 
under  the  military  customs  of  the  time  they  would  have 
been  justified  in  placing  a  rope  around  that  same  neck. 
But  there  was  one  man  at  the  banqueting  board  who 
was  a  death's  head  at  the  feast.  Lieutenant  Bernstein 
looked  and  felt  unhappy.  He  did  not  share  the  confi- 
dence of  his  comrades  in  Monsieur  de  Meinau.  In 
fact,  he  frankly  regarded  him  as  a  fraud.  So  he  sat 
there  eating  little  and  drinking  less  and  wondering  how 
he  could  bring  the  spy  to  grief. 

His  opportunity  came  sooner  than  he  expected. 
Monsieur  de  Meinau,  having  reduced  his  hosts  to  a 
state  of  semi-intoxication,  hastened  out  to  send  further 
information  to  Napoleon.     With  his  usual  cleverness 


178     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

he  had  estabHshed  a  chain  of  communication  between 
Oedenburg  and  Vienna.  He  had  his  own  sub-spies 
within  and  without  the  hnes  of  the  enemy,  and  thus 
had  a  method  of  forwarding  his  dispatches  which 
would  have  been  envied  by  modern  news  associations 
in  times  of  war.  But  on  this  one  occasion  he  reckoned 
without  his  host  —  or  at  least  this  particular  host. 
Bernstein  was  at  his  very  heels,  and  when  he  saw  him 
pass  the  slips  of  paper  into  the  hands  of  a  confederate, 
felt  that  it  was  time  for  some  one  to  interfere.  Con- 
sequently when  Monsieur  de  Meinau  returned  to  the 
banqueting  board  Bernstein  pointed  an  accusing  finger 
in  his  direction  and  exclaimed : 

"  I  denounce  that  man  as  a  spy!  " 

There  was  a  loud  shout  of  laughter  at  this  and  the 
man  nearest  to  him  punched  the  accuser  in  the  ribs. 

*'  Why,  old  man,  there's  nothing  startling  in  that. 
We  know  that  he  is  a  spy." 

Monsieur  de  Meinau  folded  his  arms  and  looked  the 
lieutenant  in  the  eye. 

"  The  comrade  is  trying  to  have  a  jest  at  my  ex- 
pense. Gentlemen,  you  all  know  that  I  am  a  spy.  I 
have  told  you  myself.  Perhaps  it  was  an  indiscretion, 
but  — " 

"  No !  No !  "  cried  Bernstein,  excitedly.  "  Not 
that  kind  of  a  spy.  I  say  that  he  is  a  spy  against 
Austria.  He  has  been  in  communication  with  the 
French  troops.  I  caught  him  in  the  act  of  sending 
messages  through  the  lines." 

Silence  fell  upon  the  group  of  ofificers  surrounding 
the    two    men.     The    force    of    the   accusation    was 


MONSIEUR  DE  MEINAU         179 

startling  —  so  startling  that  it  sobered  them  at  once. 
A  bucket  of  water  thrown  into  each  of  their  faces 
would  not  have  been  half  so  shocking.  All  of  them 
turned  to  Monsieur  de  Meinau.  His  face  was  pale, 
but  he  did  not  lose  his  composure.  He  was  ready  for 
whatever  might  happen.  The  chief  officer  cried 
sternly : 

"  What  have  you  to  say  to  this  ?  " 

Monsieur  de  Meinau's  arms  were  still  folded  in  the 
way  in  which  he  had  often  seen  Napoleon  fold  his 
arms. 

'*  Gentlemen,"  he  said  with  dignity,  "  I  have  been 
grossly  insulted,  and  under  the  circumstances  I  can 
only  do  one  thing  —  I  demand  an  instant  investigation 
of  the  accusation  against  me.  I  insist  upon  a  trial  — 
a  court  martial,  if  you  will." 

The  audacity  of  this  request  had  the  expected  result. 
It  disarmed  suspicion  at  the  outset.  And  his  insist- 
ence upon  a  trial  only  served  to  strengthen  him  in  the 
minds  of  the  officers.  He  was  given  a  trial,  but  it  was 
largely  a  perfunctory  affair.  The  lieutenant  who 
made  the  accusation  was,  of  course,  unable  to  prove 
his  charge.  The  only  witnesses  against  Schulmeister 
had  fled,  and  he  was  triumphantly  acquitted.  He  dis- 
played numerous  letters,  some  real  and  others  forged, 
to  prove  that  he  was  a  patriot  working  in  the  .-Xustrian 
Secret  Service.  General  W'ilhing,  who  presided  over 
the  trial,  was  profuse  in  his  apologies  and  insisted 
upon  giving  him  a  letter  to  the  Archduke  Charles  who 
was  then  at  Koermoend. 

Monsieur  de  Meinau  proceeded  gayly  on  his  way  to 


180     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

the  headquarters  of  the  Archduke,  arriving  with  his 
letters  and  his  never-faihng  audacity.  His  Austrian 
uniform,  of  course,  was  an  immense  asset,  which  he 
did  not  fail  to  utilize  to  the  fullest  extent.  He  was 
not  only  in  the  confidence  of  the  Austrians,  but  also 
in  the  position  of  being  a  "  vindicated  "  man.  There- 
after no  one  could  have  the  temerity  to  point  the  finger 
of  suspicion  in  his  direction.  Any  charge  they  might 
make  would  have  the  appearance  of  being  a  stale  and 
exploded  slander.  The  most  important  thing  for  him 
now  was  not  to  be  caught  in  the  commission  of  any 
overt  act. 

Most  military  spies  come  to  grief  by  having  dis- 
patches and  documents  on  their  person.  Monsieur  de 
Meinau  knew  this,  and  he  made  it  his  business  to  get 
rid  of  incriminating  documents  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment.  But  yet  there  were  times  when  papers  and 
documents  were  his  chief  stock  in  trade.  He  was 
cordially  received  at  Koermoend  and  was  taken  to  the 
Archduke  Charles  by  a  member  of  that  General's  staff. 
The  nobleman  greeted  the  newcomer  kindly  and  asked 
him  for  information  regarding  the  enemy.  Monsieur 
de  Meinau  having  just  come  from  Vienna  via  Oeden- 
burg  was  able  to  give  the  Archduke  some  very  inter- 
esting news.  The  fact  that  the  greater  part  of  it  was 
the  product  of  his  vivid  imagination  did  not  make  it 
any  the  less  thrilling.  As  a  consequence  of  this  the 
Archduke  regarded  him  with  unusual  favor. 

This  fact  was  not  lost  on  the  lesser  lights  of  the 
camp  at  Koermoend.  The  chief-of-staff  of  the  Arch- 
duke conceived  that  one  who  was  so  highly  regarded 


MONSIEUR  DE  MEINAU         181 

by  his  superior  was  entitled  to  special  attention  at  his 
hand.  So  he  invited  him  to  be  his  guest  during  his 
brief  stay  at  the  headquarters  of  the  Archduke. 
Schulmeister  —  to  give  him  his  old  name  for  the  mo- 
ment —  accepted  cheerfully,  but  reminded  his  host  that 
he  was  a  very  busy  man  and  that  he  might  be  compelled 
at  any  moment  to  leave  him  abruptly  and  without 
notice.  This  was  the  solemn  truth,  but,  of  course,  the 
humor  of  it  w^as  lost  on  the  chief-of-staff. 

Now  the  General  had  his  headquarters  in  a  roomy 
frame  building  not  far  from  that  of  the  Archduke. 
His  office  was  in  a  large  apartment  on  the  first  floor. 
Here  he  kept  all  of  his  papers  and  military  correspond- 
ence. Monsieur  de  Meinau  —  to  get  back  to  his  for- 
mal designation  —  made  note  of  all  this  and  was  quick 
to  see  where  the  soldier  placed  the  keys  of  the  place. 
For  some  days  now  he  followed  a  policy  of  watchful 
waiting.  He  was  a  persistent  man,  but  also  a  patient 
one.  He  felt  sure  that  his  opportunity  would  come  — 
and  it  did. 

One  morning  the  Archduke  decided  to  make  an  in- 
spection of  his  troops.  This  was  an  all-day  job  and 
he  was  naturally  accompanied  by  his  chief-of-staff. 
When  they  were  out  of  sight  and  hearing  the  spy 
began  his  operations.  He  had  access  to  the  house,  but 
the  desk  containing  the  coveted  papers  was  locked. 
By  rare  good  —  or  bad  —  fortune,  the  General  had 
left  his  bunch  of  keys  on  a  hook  behind  the  door. 
Monsieur  de  ]\Ieinau  possessed  himself  of  them  and 
opened  the  desk  of  the  absent  soldier.  To  his  delight 
he  found  a  mass  of  most  important  correspondence. 


182     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

He  tiptoed  over  to  the  door  and  locked  it  securely. 
After  that  he  pulled  down  the  blinds  and  started  in  to 
read  the  papers.  It  consumed  several  hours  and  at 
the  end  of  that  time  he  had  discovered  many  things 
which  he  felt  sure  were  important  to  Napoleon.  The 
question  now  was  whether  to  steal  the  papers  or  copy 
them.  He  finally  decided  on  the  latter  course.  There 
were  two  reasons  for  this.  The  first  was  that  he  could 
accomplish  his  purpose  without  exciting  any  suspicion 
and  the  second  that  the  chief-of-staff,  for  whom  he 
had  come  to  hold  a  certain  regard,  would  be  held 
blameless. 

He  went  at  his  w^ork  with  a  will.  He  used  a  cipher 
of  his  own  which  was  a  sort  of  shorthand,  and  long 
before  the  sun  went  down  he  had  filled  his  memoran- 
dum books  with  most  valuable  information.  Just  as 
he  finished  there  came  a  loud  rapping  at  the  door. 
He  was  startled,  but  not  seriously  disturbed.  He  con- 
cealed his  notebook,  locked  the  desk,  placed  the  keys 
where  he  had  found  them,  and  then  hastily  undressed. 
A  couch  was  in  the  corner  of  the  room,  and  he  threw 
himself  on  it.  In  the  meantime  the  knocking  had 
become  more  pronounced.  He  arose  and  opened  the 
door,  presenting  a  sleepy  and  dishevelled  appearance 
to  the  man  at  the  door.  It  proved  to  be,  as  he  had 
expected,  the  chief-of-staff,  returned  from  his  tour 
of  inspection.     Monsieur  de  Meinau  was  all  apolo- 

"  I  am  so  sorry  to  have  kept  you  waiting,"  he  mur- 
mured, "  but  I  was  tired  and  I  am  a  heavy  sleeper." 
The  General  was  graciousness  itself. 


MONSIEUR  DE  MEINAU         183 

"  No  excuses  are  necessary,"  he  insisted.  "  T  regret 
having  disturbed  you.  Please  he  down  again  and  take 
the  rest  I  know  you  must  need  so  badly." 

After  that  speech  it  might  be  supposed  that  Mon- 
sieur de  Meinau  would  relent.  But  not  so.  He  had 
other  uses  for  his  victim.  He  had  supper  with  him 
and  late  that  night  asked  for  a  safe  conduct  to  X'ienna. 

"  I  have  to  go  after  some  information  and  it  is  too 
late  to  go  to  the  Archduke.  I  am  sure  he  would  give  it 
to  me  but  I  dislike  disturbing  him.  Perhaps  it  is  too 
much  to  ask  from  you?  " 

The  chief-of-staff  gave  a  gracious  wave  of  the  arm 
which  might  be  taken  to  mean  that  everything  he  had 
was  at  the  disposal  of  the  spy.     He  said : 

"  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  serve  you  in  this  mat- 
ter because  in  doing  so  I  know  that  I  am  ser\ing  my 
country." 

If  Monsieur  de  Meinau  had  been  capable  of  blushing 
he  would  have  done  so  at  that  moment.  But  he  merely 
sat  there  stolidly  waiting  while  the  General  wrote  the 
desired  pass.  When  it  was  handed  to  him  he  put  it  in 
his  wallet,  bade  his  host  an  affectionate  farewell  and 
started  off  with  the  stolen  correspondence. 

He  reached  Vienna  in  safety  and  immediately 
reported  to  Napoleon,  giving  the  Little  Corporal  not 
only  the  copies  of  the  letters  and  papers,  but  also 
a  great  amount  of  verbal  information.  Napoleon 
already  had  his  plans  made  for  the  campaign  which 
was  to  end  by  placing  his  brother  Jerome  on  the  throne 
of  Westphalia.  The  data  given  him  by  Monsieur  de 
Meinau  enabled  him  to  dispose  his  forces  still  more 


184    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

advantageously.  Also  it  placed  the  enemy  at  a  tre- 
mendous disadvantage. 

At  this  time  there  had  been  formed  a  new  combina- 
tion against  France,  consisting  of  England.  Russia, 
Sweden,  Saxony  and  Prussia.  The  contest  began  in 
1806  with  two  thrilling  battles,  Jena  and  Auerstadt. 
They  were  fought  on  the  same  day.  It  was  a  crushing 
defeat  for  the  Prussians,  and  Napoleon,  already  having 
possession  of  Vienna,  now  marched  in  triumph  into 
Berlin.  Well  might  he  gloat  over  his  triumph,  for  he 
had  accomplished  in  a  few  hours  what  Austria,  France 
and  Russia  had  been  unable  to  do  in  the  Seven  Years' 
War  of  the  preceding  century.  And  within  a  stone's 
throw  of  the  Emperor  and  sharing  with  him  the  glories 
of  this  historic  occasion  was  his  faithful  spy. 

But  the  opposition,  while  dismayed,  was  not  yet 
entirely  vanquished.  The  Prussians  gathered  their 
scattered  forces  together  and  joining  with  the  Russians 
made  a  final  stand  at  Eylau.  The  battle  there  was 
fierce,  but  not  decisive.  A  short  time  after  this  the 
French  won  the  battle  of  Friedland,  and  then  a  treaty 
of  peace  was  signed. 

Napoleon  gained  precisely  what  he  wanted.  By  the 
peace  treaty  Prussia  gave  up  a  large  part  of  her  terri- 
tory. From  a  portion  of  it,  lying  west  of  the  Elbe, 
he  created  the  Kingdom  of  Westphalia.  This  was 
bestowed  upon  his  brother  Jerome,  thus  adding  another 
kingdom  to  the  group  of  states  which  he  was  accumu- 
lating and  which  —  he  thought  in  his  colossal  vanity 
—  was  to  make  him  King  of  Kings.  Monsieur  de 
Meinau  was  present  when  Jerome  was  crowned,  as  was 


MONSIEUR  DE  MEINAU         185 

befitting  for  one  who  had  risked  his  life  in  the  cause  of 
the  king-maker. 

In  1809  Monsieur  de  Meinau  was  given  command 
of  the  Mihtary  PoHce  of  the  French  Army.     From 
that    date,    ahhough    his    field    of    operations    was 
increased,  his  personal  exploits  became  less  numerous. 
He  did   undertake  one   or  two  private  missions   for 
Napoleon,  but  for  the  most  part  his  hours  were  fully 
occupied  in  directing  the  activities  of  others.     That  he 
was  a  busy  man  may  be  appreciated  from  the  ceaseless 
labors    of    Napoleon.     That    remarkable    man    never 
rested  and,  needless  to  say,  did  not  permit  any  one 
about  him  to  rest.     There  came  the  seizure  of   the 
thrones  of  Portugal  and  Spain,  the  Peninsular  War, 
the  quarrel  with  the  Pope,  the  battle  of  Wagram  and 
then  the  divorce  from  Josephine  and  the  marriage  to 
the  Princess  Marie  Louise.     In  all  of  these  stirring 
events  the  former  Alsatian  smuggler  played  his  part. 
Napoleon,  while  a  hard  taskmaster,  was  a  liberal 
paymaster.     Time  and  again  his  spy  was  given  large 
sums  of  money,  and  what  was  quite  as  good,  the  oppor- 
tunities of  making  money.     But  there  was  one  thing 
he  craved,  and  that  was  the  cross  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor.     He  had  been  a  soldier  as  well  as  a  spy,  and 
felt  that  this  entitled  him  to  the  decoration.     Familiar 
as  he  had  been  with  the  IMan  of  Destiny,  the  spy  did 
not  have  the  courage  to  personally  ask  him  for  this 
favor.     He  confided  his  wish  to  General  Savery,  his 
original  patron,  who  undertook  to  present  the  case  to 
the  Emperor.     The  great  Napoleon  had  ideas  of  his 
own  on  this  point.     He  fully  appreciated  the  value  of 


186    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

the  services  rendered  by  Schulmeister  but  when  the 
decoration  was  demanded  he  gave  an  aggressive  shake 
of  the  head. 

"  Money  as  much  as  you  like,"  he  cried,  "  but  the 
cross  —  never!  " 

And  the  money  poured  into  the  outstretched  hands 
of  Monsieur  de  Meinau,  but  the  decoration  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor  remained  ever  beyond  his  reach. 
Presently  the  fortunes  of  Napoleon  began  to  wane, 
and,  appropriately  enough  the  fortunes  of  his  chief 
spy  also  waned.  He  became  a  comparatively  poor 
man  and  went  to  spend  the  declining  years  of  his  life 
in  the  town  of  his  birth.  There  Napoleon  HI  called  on 
him  and  talked  of  the  great  days  that  had  gone  before. 

Some  time  in  the  forties  a  Parisian  visiting  the  Alsa- 
tian village  met  a  little  old  man,  dressed  in  black,  and 
walking  about  with  the  aid  of  a  cane.  In  spite  of  his 
great  age  he  was  nattily  attired  and  the  red  rose  in  his 
buttonhole  betokened  the  spirit  of  youth  that  dwelt 
within  him.  He  was  amiable  and  very,  very  gentle. 
This  man  was  Louis  Joseph  Schulmeister,  afterwards 
Monsieur  de  Meinau,  Napoleon's  chief  spy,  and  the 
hero  of  a  hundred  thrilling  escapes. 

The  good,  it  is  said,  die  young;  this  amazing  man 
lived  to  be  eighty-two,  and  died  in  bed ! 


XIII 

THE  STRANGE  MYSTERY  SURROUNDING 

THE  BETRAYAL  OF  CAPTAIN 

NATHAN  HALE 


XIII 

THE  STRANGE  MYSTERY  SURROUNDING 

THE  BETRAYAL  OF  CAPTAIN 

NATHAN  HALE 

MOST  Americans  are  fairly  familiar  with  the 
story  of  the  heroic  sacrifice  of  Captain  Nathan 
Hale,  but  none  have  yet  ventured  to  remove 
the  veil  of  mystery  that  hides  the  identity  of  the 
betrayer  of  the  young  patriot. 

Who  delivered  Nathan  Hale  into  the  hands  of  his 
executioners?  That  is  a  question  which  has  never 
been  answered.  Was  it  one  of  his  ow'n  cousins  who 
happened  to  be  a  Tory  and  a  British  sympathizer? 
That  suspicion  has  been  expressed  and  although  it 
has  been  pushed  aside  by  Benson  J.  Lossing  the  his- 
torian, he  admits  that  he  has  not  been  able  to  obtain  any 
data  for  or  against  this  theory. 

It  is  a  notorious  fact  that  the  Tories  were  very 
numerous  in  and  about  New  York,  and  there  seems  to 
be  reason  for  believing  that  some  of  Hale's  own  fam- 
ily were  in  sympathy  with  their  sycophantic  sentiments. 
Could  feelings  of  envy  have  entered  into  one  of  the 
saddest  betrayals  of  American  history?  It  is  to  be 
hoped  not  for  the  sake  of  our  common  humanity,  and 
yet  the  popularity  of  Hale  as  he  reached  man's  estate 

189 


190    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

was  likely  to  arouse  the  mean  jealousy  of  those  of  a 
lower  order  of  mentality. 

Nathan  Hale  was  a  magnificent  specimen  of  man- 
hood. His  physical  and  mental  qualities  were  alike 
distinguished.  He  was  graduated  from  Yale  college 
with  high  honors  and  while  there  made  a  record  as  an 
athlete.  He  was  almost  six  feet  in  height,  perfectly 
proportioned,  and,  in  the  words  of  Dr.  Munson,  was 
"  the  most  manly  man  I  have  ever  met."  His  chest 
was  broad,  his  muscles  firm;  his  face  wore  a  most 
benign  expression;  his  complexion  was  rosy;  his  eyes, 
light  blue  and  beaming  with  intelligence;  his  hair  soft 
and  light  brown  and  his  speech  low,  sweet  and  musical. 
Is  it  any  wonder  that  the  girls  of  New  Haven  loved 
him  and  wept  when  they  heard  his  fate  ? 

Nathan  Hale  was  engaged  in  teaching  school  at  New 
London  when  the  rumbles  of  the  Revolution  first  began 
to  disturb  the  placid  life  of  that  part  of  the  country. 
On  the  day  that  American  blood  was  first  shed  at  Lex- 
ington a  twilight  town  meeting  was  called  and  Nathan 
Hale  was  one  of  the  speakers.  He  called  upon  the 
people  to  act  at  once  and  to  act  in  a  manner  that  could 
not  be  misunderstood. 

"  Let  us  march  immediately,"  he  cried  with  all  of  the 
passionate  ardor  of  youth,  "  and  let  us  never  lay  down 
our  arms  until  we  have  obtained  our  independence." 

As  a  proof  of  both  his  consistency  and  his  patriot- 
ism, Hale  immediately  enrolled  himself  as  a  volunteer. 
The  following  morning  he  bade  good-by  to  his  pupils 
and  departed  for  Cambridge.  Before  long  he  had 
been  formally  enlisted  as  a  lieutenant  of  a  company  in 


CAPTAIN  NATHAN  HALE        191 

a  regiment  commanded  by  Colonel  Charles  Webb,  and 
late  in  September  of  that  year  marched  with  his  regi- 
ment to  Cambridge  and  participated  in  the  siege  of 
Boston.  Within  three  months  he  had  been  commis- 
sioned as  a  captain  because  of  vigilance  and  bravery. 
The  British  were  driven  from  Boston  in  the  spring  of 
the  following  year,  and  soon  after  that  the  Americans 
proceeded  to  New  York.  His  earnestness  in  the  cause 
was  proven  when  he  surrendered  his  own  pay  to  his 
men  in  the  endeavor  to  have  them  prolong  their  term 
of  service,  which  had  already  expired. 

Even  at  this  early  stage  of  his  military  career  he 
covered  himself  with  glory  by  performing  what  proved 
to  be  one  of  the  most  daring  feats  of  the  Revolution. 
A  British  sloop  laden  with  provisions  was  anchored 
in  the  East  River  under  the  protection  of  the  guns  of 
a  man-of-war  called  the  Asia.  Hale  went  to  General 
Heath  and  obtained  permission  to  attempt  the  capture 
of  the  supply  vessel.  With  a  few  dozen  picked  men 
as  resolute  as  himself,  he  embarked  in  a  small  boat  at 
midnight  and  reached  the  side  of  the  sloop  unobserved 
by  the  sentinel.  The  young  New  Englander  followed 
by  his  men  sprang  aboard  the  vessel,  secured  the  sen- 
tinel, confined  the  crew  below  the  hatches,  raised  the 
boat's  anchor  and  took  her  into  the  wharf  just  at  the 
dawn  of  day.  It  was  a  dashing  adventure  and  it  was 
successful.  He  was  the  hero  of  the  hour,  especially 
among  his  fellow  Americans,  when  the  supplies  were 
distributed  among  them.  For  many  months  after  this 
he  continued  the  routine  work  of  a  captain  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary Army,  and  it  was  not  until  the  7th  of  Sep- 


192     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

tember  that  he  was  called  upon  to  take  part  in  the  thrill- 
ing exploit  which  was  to  end  in  such  a  disastrous  and 
tragic  manner.  Washington  had  called  a  council  of 
war  to  decide  whether  he  should  defend  or  abandon 
New  York.  He  had  already  asked  Congress  this  im- 
portant question  and  he  was  answered  by  a  resolution 
that  in  case  he  should  find  it  necessary  to  quit  New 
York  he  should  have  special  care  taken  that  no  damage 
be  done  to  the  city.  As  a  result  of  this  he  resolved  to 
remain  and  defend  the  city. 

General  Washington  had  at  this  time  made  his  head- 
quarters at  the  house  of  Robert  Murray.  The  posi- 
tion of  his  army  was  exceedingly  perilous,  ships  of  war 
having  already  passed  up  the  East  River.  Scouts 
reported  great  activity  among  the  British  troops,  but 
they  were  unable,  after  great  efforts,  to  gain  any  intelli- 
gent idea  of  the  intentions  of  the  enemy.  Yet  Wash- 
ington knew  that  it  was  most  essential  that  he' should 
have  this  information.  He  wrote  to  General  Heath, 
then  staying  at  Kings  Bridge. 

"  As  everything  in  a  manner  depends  upon  intelli- 
gence of  the  enemy's  motions,  I  do  most  earnestly 
entreat  you  and  General  Clinton  to  exert  yourselves  to 
accomplish  this  most  desirable  thing.  Leave  no  stone 
unturned  nor  do  not  stick  at  expense  to  bring  this  to 
pass,  as  I  was  never  more  uneasy  than  on  account  of 
my  want  of  knowledge  on  this  score.  Keep  a  constant 
lookout  with  good  glasses  on  some  commanding 
heights  that  look  well  on  to  the  other  shore." 

What  Washington  desired  to  know  more  than  any- 
thing else  was  whether  the  British  would  make  a  direct 


CAPTAIN  NATHAN  HALE        193 

attack  upon  the  city,  and  if  they  did  whether  they 
intended  to  land  upon  the  island  above  the  city  or  Mor- 
risania,  beyond  the  Harlem  River.  The  general  in  his 
perplexity  called  another  council  of  w^ar  at  Murray's. 
At  this  conference  it  was  resolved  to  send  some  cour- 
ageous and  competent  person  in  disguise  into  the  Brit- 
ish camps  on  Long  Island.  The  person  needed  was 
one  skilled  in  military  and  scientific  knowledge  and  a 
good  draftsman  —  in  short  a  man  on  whose  judgment 
and  fidelity  they  could  absolutely  depend.  In  this 
emergency  Washington  sent  for  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Noulton  and  told  him  just  what  he  wanted.  In 
response  Noulton  summoned  a  number  of  officers  to  a 
conference  at  his  quarters  and  in  the  name  of  the  com- 
mander-in-chief called  for  volunteers.  They  were 
taken  by  surprise.  There  was  a  general  reluctance  to 
engage  in  the  work  of  a  spy.  For  a  time  it  looked  as 
if  it  would  be  impossible  to  obtain  a  man  for  the  ser- 
vice, but  at  the  last  moment  a  young  soldier  who  had 
been  ill  entered  the  room  and  learning  the  nature  of  the 
request  called  out : 

"  I  will  undertake  the  work." 

It  was  Captain  Nathan  Hale.  Everybody  was 
amazed,  not  the  least  among  them  being  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Noulton.  Some  of  the  others,  who  knew  and 
loved  Hale,  privately  endeavored  to  persuade  him  to 
reconsider  his  decision.  They  pointed  out  his  hopes 
for  the  future  and  explained  the  ignominy  and  death 
to  which  he  might  be  exposed.  One  of  his  dearest 
friends,  William  Hull,  who  was  afterwards  a  general 
in  the  War  of  1812,  and  who  was  a  member  of  his 


194    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

company  and  had  been  his  classmate  at  college,  was 
especially  fervid  in  trying  to  turn  him  from  the  perilous 
task,  but  Hale  had  made  up  his  mind  and  would  not 
change  it.     He  said  with  great  warmth : 

"  Gentlemen,  I  am  satisfied  that  I  owe  to  my  coun- 
try the  accomplishment  of  an  object  so  important  and 
so  much  desired  by  the  commander  of  her  armies,  and 
I  know  of  no  mode  of  obtaining  the  information  except 
by  assuming  a  disguise  and  passing  into  the  enemy's 
camp.  I  am  fully  sensible  of  the  consequences  of  dis- 
covery and  capture  in  such  circumstances,  but  for  a 
year  I  have  been  attached  to  the  army  and  have  not 
rendered  any  material  service,  while  receiving  a  com- 
pensation for  which  I  made  no  return.  Yet  I  am  not 
influenced  by  any  expectation  of  promotion  or  pecun- 
iary reward.  I  wish  to  be  useful;  and  every  kind  of 
service  necessary  for  the  public  good  becomes  honor- 
able by  being  necessary.  If  the  exigencies  of  my  coun- 
try demand  a  peculiar  service  its  claims  to  the  perform- 
ance of  that  service  are  imperious." 

These  words,  thrilling  with  their  patriotism,  silenced 
the  objections  of  his  fellow  soldiers.  That  very  after- 
noon in  company  with  Noulton  he  appeared  before 
Washington  and  received  instructions  concerning  his 
mission.  He  was  provided  with  the  necessary  author- 
ity and  also  given  a  general  order  to  the  owners  of  all 
American  vessels  to  convey  him  to  any  point  on  Long 
Island  which  he  might  designate. 

He  left  the  camp  on  Harlem  Heights  that  night 
accompanied  by  Sergeant  Stephen  Hempstead.  With 
him  also  was  his  servant,  Ansel  Wright.     It  was  not 


CAPTAIN  NATHAN  HALE        195 

until  they  had  readied  Norwalk,  fifty  miles  from  New 
York,  that  they  found  a  safe  place  to  cross  the  Sound. 
Here  Hale  exchanged  his  regimentals  for  citizen's 
dress  of  brown  cloth  and  a  broad  brimmed  round  hat. 
He  directed  his  two  companions  to  remain  there  until 
his  return  and  also  deposited  with  Hempstead  his  uni- 
form and  his  military  commission.  Hale  crossed  the 
Sound  to  Huntingdon  Bay  where  he  landed  disguised 
in  the  character  of  schoolmaster  and  Royalist  who  was 
disgusted  with  the  Rebel  forces.  He  entered  the  Brit- 
ish camps  in  this  disguise  and  was  received  with  much 
enthusiasm  by  the  Redcoats,  who  accepted  him  as  an 
ally.  It  is  known  that  he  visited  all  the  British  camps 
on  Long  Island  and  made  observations  openly ;  that  he 
passed  over  from  Brooklyn  to  New  York  City  and  that 
he  gathered  considerable  information  concerning  the 
condition  of  the  British  army  at  that  place.  So  far  he 
had  been  entirely  successful  in  his  mission. 

On  his  return  he  safely  reached  the  point  on  the 
Long  Island  shore  where  he  had  first  landed,  and  he 
prepared  to  recross  the  Sound  at  Norwalk  the  first 
thing  in  the  following  morning.  He  wore  shoes  with 
loose  inner  soles  and  between  the  soles  he  had  concealed 
the  drawings  he  made  of  the  fortifications  and  also 
other  memoranda  written  in  Latin  on  thin  paper.  Per- 
fectly satisfied  that  he  was  safe  from  harm  and  filled 
with  the  thought  that  his  mission  had  ended  success- 
fully, he  calmly  awaited  the  coming  of  daylight.  His 
attention  was  attracted  by  the  proximity  of  an  inn 
known  as  "  The  Cedars."  This  place  was  managed  by 
a  widow  who  was  a  staunch  Loyalist.     It  was  well 


196    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

known  as  the  resort  of  the  Tories  in  that  part  of 
the  country.  Hale  was  familiar  with  these  facts,  but 
w-as  not  disturbed  at  the  thought  of  any  personal 
danger. 

The  light  in  the  w'indow  of  "  The  Cedars  "  attracted 
him.  It  was  necessary  that  he  should  have  refresh- 
ments and  lodgings.  He  felt  perfectly  safe  now,  con- 
sidering that  he  was  far  away  from  the  danger  zone, 
and  besides  felt  that  his  simple  attire  would  protect 
him  from  prying  eyes.  Accordingly  he  strolled  into 
the  tavern  and  secured  a  room  for  the  night.  After 
that  he  went  to  the  main  room  and  ordered  supper. 
The  place  was  fairly  crowded  and  the  entrance  of  Hale 
apparently  attracted  no  attention. 

He  took  his  ease,  supping  leisurely  and  listening  with 
interest  to  the  gossip  of  the  loungers  about  the  room. 
"  The  Cedars  "  was  notoriously  a  resort  for  Tories  and 
the  young  American  was  forced  to  listen  to  some  con- 
versation which  he  surely  did  not  relish.  But  he  had 
a  sense  of  humor  as  well  as  a  philosophy  of  his  own 
and  the  blatant  talk  of  the  so-called  Royalists  did  not 
disturb  the  serenity  of  his  disposition.  Indeed,  there 
is  reason  to  believe  that  the  romantic  side  of  the  young 
man  was  attracted  by  the  novelty  of  the  situation. 
"  The  Cedars  "  was  a  quaint  old  inn.  The  customary 
shingle,  offering  refreshments  for  "  man  and  beast " 
swung  outside  in  the  wind ;  mine  host  with  a  long  white 
apron  served  beer  in  great  stone  mugs,  and  the  patrons 
of  the  place  sprawled  about  the  tables  smoking  long 
stemmed  pipes.  They  talked  of  war  and  they  talked 
of  spies,  little  thinking  that  an  American  officer  who 


CAPTAIN  NATHAN  HALE        197 

was  just  linishing-  an  important  mission  was  listening 
to  all  they  had  to  say. 

In  the  midst  of  the  hub-bub  a  stranger  entered  the 
room.  He  caught  one  glance  of  Nathan  Hale  and  then 
turned  his  face  with  the  suddenness  of  one  who  has 
made  a  startling  discovery.  The  next  moment  Hale 
had  looked  up,  but  too  late  to  get  a  good  view  of  the 
man's  face.  He  caught  the  merest  glance  of  the  guilty 
countenance,  and  from  that  moment  his  mind  was 
haunted  with  a  resemblance  which  it  was  impossible  to 
fix  with  any  certainty.  The  newcomer  was  in  civil- 
ian's dress.  He  wore  his  hair  long  and  was  square- 
shouldered.  He  spoke  to  no  one  and  disappeared  as 
silently  as  he  had  entered. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  he  is  the  man  who 
betrayed  Hale  to  the  British.  But  there  has  always 
been  real  doubt  concerning  his  identity.  It  is  hinted 
that  Hale  himself  said  that  the  fellow^  resembled  a  dis- 
tant cousin.  But  there  is  nothing  on  record  to  prove 
this  disagreeable  suspicion.  Indeed,  from  that  mo- 
ment, there  seems  to  have  been  an  attempt  to  conceal 
all  of  the  facts  concerning  Hale's  dramatic  arrest  and 
tragic  death.  Can  this  have  been  part  of  the  plan  to 
protect  the  informer?  Over  one  hundred  and  forty 
years  have  passed  since  then  and  history  still  asks  the 
name  of  the  man  who  entered  "  The  Cedars  "  on  that 
fateful  night  in  September,  1775. 

Nathan  Hale  spent  the  night  at  this  tavern,  and  at 
daylight  the  next  morning  he  went  out  to  search  for  the 
boat  that  was  to  convey  him  to  the  other  side  of  the 
Sound.     To  his  immense  satisfaction  he  saw  a  craft 


198    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

moving  towards  the  shore  with  several  men  in  it.  He 
had  not  the  least  doubt  but  that  they  were  his  friends 
and  he  hastened  to  the  beach  in  order  to  meet  it.  As 
the  boat  touched  the  shore  a  half  dozen  British  marines 
jumped  out  and  surrounded  him.  He  turned  as  if  to 
run  w  hen  a  harsh  voice  exclaimed : 

"  Surrender  instantly,  or  you  die !  " 

Too  late  he  realized  that  he  had  walked  into  a  trap. 
He  saw  six  men  standing  there  erect  with  muskets 
levelled  at  his  heart.  It  was  folly  to  struggle.  He 
was  seized,  taken  into  the  barge  and  conveyed  to  the 
British  guardship  Halifax.  His  captors  stripped  and 
searched  him  and  found  the  evidence  of  his  mission 
concealed  between  the  soles  of  his  shoes.  The  unfor- 
tunate American  was  taken  in  one  of  the  boats  of  the 
Halifax  to  General  Howe's  headquarters,  which  were 
then  in  the  mansion  of  James  Beekman  at  Mount 
Pleasant.  This  place  contained  among  other  things  a 
great  greenhouse  filled  with  shrubbery  and  plants.  In 
this  greenhouse  Hale  was  confined  under  a  strong 
guard  on  the  night  of  September  21.  The  following 
morning  he  was  taken  before  Howe,  who,  without  the 
formality  of  a  trial,  condemned  him  to  be  hung.  He 
was  delivered  into  the  custody  of  William  Cunning- 
ham with  orders  that  he  should  be  executed  before  sun- 
rise the  following  day. 

History  informs  us  that  when  Hale  was  taken  before 
Howe  he  frankly  acknowledged  the  purpose  of  his 
mission. 

"  I  was  present  at  the  interview,"  wrote  a  British 
officer,  "  and  I  observed  that  the  frankness,  the  manly 


CAPTAIN  NATHAN  HALE        199 

bearing  and  the  evident  disinterested  patriotism  of  the 
young  prisoner  touched  a  tender  cord  in  General 
Howe's  nature;  but  the  stern  rules  of  war  concerning 
such  offenses  would  not  allow  him  to  exercise  e\en 
pity." 

It  was  on  a  Sunday  morning  that  Nathan  Hale  was 
marched  to  the  place  of  execution,  which  was  in  the 
vicinity  of  what  is  now  East  Broadway  and  Market 
Street  He  was  escorted  by  a  file  of  soldiers  and  was 
permitted  to  sit  in  a  tent  while  waiting  for  the  neces- 
sary preparations  for  his  death.  The  young  patriot 
asked  for  a  chaplain  but  his  request  was  brutally 
denied.  He  asked  for  a  Bible,  but  this  also  was 
refused.  It  was  only  at  the  solicitation  of  a  young 
officer  in  whose  tent  Hale  sat  that  he  was  allowed  to 
write  brief  letters  to  his  mother,  sisters  and  the  young 
girl  to  whom  he  was  betrothed.  She  was  Alice 
Adams,  a  native  of  Canterbury,  Connecticut,  and  dis- 
tinguished both  for  her  intelligence  and  personal 
beauty.  Who  could  imagine  the  feelings  that  filled 
the  young  patriot  as  he  penned  his  final  words  to  the 
girl  who  was  pledged  to  be  his  wife. 

But  imagine  the  scene  a  moment  later  when  these 
tender  epistles  w^ere  handed  to  Cunningham.  That 
officer  read  them  with  growing  anger.  He  became 
furious  as  he  realized  the  noble  spirit  which  breathed  in 
every  word.  He  resolved  that  they  should  not  be 
given  to  the  world,  and  with  an  oath  tore  them  into 
bits  before  the  face  of  his  victim.  It  was  twilight  on 
that  beautiful  September  morning  when  Hale  was  led 
to  his  execution.     The  gallows  was  the  limb  of  an 


200    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

apple  tree  in  Colonel  Rutger's  orchard.  The  young 
martyr  was  asked  if  he  had  anything  to  say.  He 
turned  to  his  executioner  and  in  a  calm  clear  voice 
said: 

"  I  only  regret  that  I  have  but  one  life  to  lose  for 
my  country." 

His  body  was  buried  near  the  spot  where  he  died 
and  a  British  officer  was  sent  to  acquaint  Washington 
with  the  fate  of  his  young  messenger.  A  rude  stone 
placed  by  the  side  of  the  grave  of  his  father  in  the 
burial  ground  of  the  Congregational  Church  in  his 
native  town  for  many  years  revealed  to  passersby  the 
fact  that  it  was  "  In  Commemoration  of  Nathan  Hale, 
Esquire,  a  Captain  in  the  Army  of  the  United  States, 
who  was  Born  June  Sixth,  1755,  and  Received  the 
First  Honors  of  Yale  College,  September  17,  1773, 
and  Resigned  His  Life  a  Sacrifice  to  His  Country's 
Liberty  at  New  York,  September  22,  1776,  Age  Twen- 
ty-two." 

Sixty  years  ago,  long  before  there  was  a  monument 
to  the  memory  of  Hale,  George  Gibbs,  librarian  of  the 
New  York  Historical  Society,  wrote  this  epitaph, 
which  is  worthy  of  preservation: 

STRANGER,  BENEATH  THIS  STONE 

LIES  THE  DUST  OF 

A  SPY, 

WHO  PERISHED  UPON  THE  GIBBET; 

YET 

THE  STORIED  MARBLES  OF  THE  GREAT, 

THE  SHRINES  OF  HEROES, 

ENTOMBED  ONE  NOT  MORE  WORTHY  OF 

HONOR 


CAPTAIN  NATH'AN  ILVLE        201 

THAN  HIM  WHO  HERE 

SLEEPS  HIS  LAST  SLEEP. 

NATIONS 

BOW  WITH  REVERENCE  BEFORE  THE  DUST 

OF  HIM  WHO  DIES 

A  GLORIOUS  DEATH, 

URGED  ON  BY  THE  SOUND  OF  THE 

TRUMPET 

AND  THE  SHOUTS  OF 

ADMIRING  THOUSANDS 

BUT  WHAT  REVERENCE,  WHAT  HONOR, 

IS  NOT  DUE  TO  ONE, 

WHO  FOR  HIS  COUNTRY  ENCOUNTERED 

EVEN  AN  INFAMOUS  DEATH, 

SOOTHED  BY  NO  SYMPATHY, 

ANIMATED  BY  NO  PRAISE! 

The  simple  narrative  of  Nathan  Hale's  life  and 
death  effectively  disposes  of  the  tradition  that  he  un- 
dertook his  perilous  mission  reluctantly  or  that  he  had 
any  scruples  about  essaying  the  role  of  a  spy.  He 
regarded  that  task  as  part  of  the  day's  work  —  an 
unpleasant  part  to  be  sure,  but  one  of  the  things  that 
had  to  be  cheerfully  undertaken  in  the  line  of  duty. 

But  there  is  one  phase  of  the  tragic  business  that  is 
shrouded  in  mystery  and  it  is  the  story  of  his  betrayal. 
Who  was  the  strange  man  in  "  The  Cedars  "  ?  Was 
he  a  cousin?  Was  he  a  Tory?  Do  the  descendants 
of  that  man  still  live  in  New  York  City  and  what  must 
their  feelings  be  when  they  read  the  inscription  upon 
the  monument  to  the  young  patriot  and  martyr? 

Until  these  questions  have  been  answered  and  until 
this  mystery  has  been  made  clear  the  story  of  Nathan 
Hale  will  be  incomplete. 


XIV 

MAJOR  LE  CARON  AND  THE  FENIAN 
INVASION  OF  CANADA 


XIV 

MAJOR  LE  CARON  AND  THE  FENIAN 
INVASION  OF  CANADA 

IF  there  is  one  name  in  Ireland  that  is  more  cordially 
detested  than  another  it  is  that  of  Thomas  Beach, 
the  spy,  who  is  better  known  by  his  adopted  name 
of  Major  Henri  Le  Caron.  The  story  of  how  he  came 
to  assume  that  cognomen,  and  the  manner  in  which  he 
served  the  government  of  Great  Britain  as  against  his 
supposed  co-patriots  furnishes  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting chapters  in  the  Secret  Service  of  England,  if  not 
of  the  world. 

Beach  defends  his  work  on  the  ground  that  when  he 
was  first  brought  into  contact  with  Fenianism  he  had  no 
ulterior  motive  in  mind  and  that  no  material  consider- 
ation prompted  him  to  work  against  the  men  who 
hoped  to  bring  about  the  freedom  of  Ireland  by  the 
spectacular  invasion  of  Canada.  He  says  that  he  was 
forced  by  a  variety  of  circumstances  to  play  a  part  he 
had  never  sought,  but  he  insists  that  he  did  nothing  to 
be  ashamed  of  and  has  never  felt  any  regret  for  the 
manner  in  which  he  served  England.  He  says  that 
there  is  no  truth  in  the  popular  belief  which  credited 
him  with  receiving  fabulous  payments  and  frequent 
rewards.  He  admits  that  there  was  ever-present  dan- 
ger and  constantly  recurring  difficulties,  but  very  scant 

205 


206    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

recompense  from  the  Government  for  which  he  risked 
so  much. 

Beach  was  born  in  England,  but  came  to  the  United 
States  just  about  the  time  of  the  beginning  of  the  Civil 
War  and  enlisted  in  the  Union  Army  —  in  the  8th 
Pennsylvanian  Reserves.  But  in  enlisting  he  took  on 
himself  a  new^  name  and  a  new  nationality.  One  rea- 
son he  gives  for  this  was  his  desire  to  avoid  giving  his 
parents  anxiety.  Also  he  thought  it  would  be  "  a 
good  joke."  Be  that  as  it  may,  he  was  put  down  on 
the  books  of  his  company  as  Henri  Le  Caron  and  his 
home  as  France.  He  served  through  the  greater  part 
of  the  war,  and  after  it  was  over  became  connected 
with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  holding  among 
other  positions  those  of  Vice  Commander  and  Post 
Surgeon,  with  the  rank  of  major. 

So  from  that  time  until  the  end  of  the  chapter  he  was 
known  as  Major  Le  Caron,  and  he  says  that  this 
afforded  him  an  effective  disguise  through  which  he 
was  enabled  to  keep  the  English  authorities  informed 
of  the  Irish  movements  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

It  was  through  an  Irishman  named  O'Neill  that  Le 
Caron  became  connected  with  the  Fenian  movement. 
He  wrote  home  at  intervals  and  he  says  that  the  infor- 
mation which  w-as  thus  informally  given  to  his  family 
w^as  by  them  taken  to  the  Home  Secretary  in  London, 
and  in  the  course  of  time  Le  Caron  became  a  regularly 
paid  spy  in  the  Secret  Service.  The  consequences  of 
this  was  that  the  proposed  invasion  of  Canada  was  well 
known  to  the  English  and  Canadian  officials  long 
before   it  occurred.     The  first   invasion,   with  which 


MAJOR   LK    CARON    (  THOMAS    BKACIl) 


MAJOR  LE  CARON  207 

Le  Caron  does  not  seem  to  have  been  personally  con- 
nected occurred  on  the  morning  of  June  i,  1866.  For 
six  months  before  that  time  active  preparations  were  in 
progress.  During  the  spring  of  the  year  many  com- 
panies of  soldiers,  armed  and  uniformed,  were  being 
drilled  in  a  number  of  cities  in  the  United  States. 
Thousands  of  stands  of  arms  and  millions  of  rounds  of 
ammunition  had  been  purchased  and  located  at  differ- 
ent points  along  the  Canadian  border. 

The  relations  between  the  United  States  and  Eng- 
land were  not  very  cordial  at  that  time  because  of  the 
attitude  of  England  during  the  Civil  War,  and  as  a 
consequence  the  proposed  invasion,  if  it  was  not  en- 
couraged, was  not  gready  discouraged  in  this  country. 
The  attempt,  however,  proved  a  failure.  The  Fenians 
were  defeated  and  driven  out  of  Canada.  Sixty  of 
them  were  killed  and  more  than  two  hundred  taken 
prisoners.  It  was  the  natural  result  that  is  to  be  looked 
for  when  a  volunteer  force  goes  against  a  well  trained 
army.  Under  the  command  of  General  John  O'Neill 
800  Irish  patriots  were  towed  across  the  Niagara  River 
to  a  point  on  the  Canadian  side  called  Waterloo.  At 
four  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  Irish  flag  was  planted 
on  British  soil  by  Colonel  Owen  Starr,  and  from  thence 
the  patriots  marched  to  and  captured  Fort  Erie,  con- 
taining a  detachment  of  the  Welland  Battery. 

The  effect  of  the  news  of  this  first  victory  was  elec- 
trical in  the  United  States.  Thousands  who  had  hes- 
itated about  joining  the  movement  were  now  willing 
and  anxious  to  enlist.  The  Canadian  Government, 
and  Le  Caron  in  his  official  reports  to  London  endeav- 


208    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

ored  to  belittle  this  initial  triumph,  but  they  felt  very 
much  chagrined  just  the  same.  However,  the  Irish 
victory  was  short-lived.  As  soon  as  the  news  of  the 
capture  of  Fort  Erie  spread  to  Toronto,  the  22nd  Bat- 
talion of  Volunteers  of  that  city  hastened  to  the  rescue, 
and  at  Ridgeway  a  bloody  battle  occurred  between  the 
opposing  forces.  The  invaders  were  driven  back  to 
Fort  Erie  and  later  were  taken  as  prisoners  by  the 
United  States  battleship  Michigan. 

The  news  of  the  temporary  victory  had  a  wonderful 
effect  in  the  United  States.  By  the  7th  of  June  not 
less  than  30,000  men  had  assembled  in  and  around 
Buffalo,  prepared  to  fight  if  it  was  deemed  desirable. 
But  the  defeat  of  the  detachment  that  had  actually 
entered  Canada,  and  the  issuance  of  a  neutrality  proc- 
lamation by  President  Andrew  Johnson  ended  the  war 
for  the  time  being.  The  prisoners  were  released  on 
their  own  recognizance  and  sent  home  by  the  United 
States  authorities.  The  arms  seized  by  the  American 
Government  were  returned  to  the  Fenian  organization, 
and  if  Dame  Rumor  is  not  a  falsifier,  were  used  for  a 
second  invasion  of  Canada  four  years  later. 

In  1869  Le  Caron  was  so  intimate  with  his  Fenian 
friends  that  he  was  made  an  inspector  general  of  the 
Irish  Republican  Army.  After  that  he  was  assistant 
adjutant  general  with  the  rank  of  colonel,  and  his  new 
position  enabled  him  not  only  to  become  possessed  of 
the  originals  of  many  important  documents  and  plans 
of  proposed  campaigns,  but  also  specimens  of  the  Fe- 
nian army  commissions  which  he  promptly  conveyed 
to  the  officials  of  the  Canadian  Government.     In  this 


MAJOR  LE  CARON  209 

work  he  was  assisted  by  a  numljer  of  officials  from 
Canada.     Speaking  of  this,  he  says : 

"  Successful  as  I  was  in  avoiding  detection  through 
all  this  work,  those  assisting  me  in  my  secret  service 
capacity  were  not  always  destined  to  share  in  my  good 
luck.  This  has  been  particularly  the  case  on  one  occa- 
sion. I  was  at  the  time  shipping  arms  at  Malone,  N. 
Y.,  and  attended  on  behalf  of  the  Canadian  Govern- 
ment by  one  of  the  staff  men  placed  at  my  disposal  for 
the  purpose  of  immediate  communication  and  the  tran- 
sit of  any  documents  requiring  secrecy  and  dispatch  as 
well  as  for  personal  protection  should  such  prove  nec- 
essary. This  man,  John  C.  Rose,  was  one  of  the  most 
faithful  and  trusted  servants  of  the  Canadian  admin- 
istration, and  for  months  he  followed  me  along  the 
whole  border. 

"  Though  stopping  at  the  same  hotels  and  in  con- 
stant communication  with  me,  no  suspicion  was  aroused 
until  his  identity  was  accidentally  disclosed  by  a  visitor 
from  the  seat  of  government  to  one  of  the  Fenians 
located  at  Malone.  Men  were  immediately  set  to 
watch  him  without  my  knowledge,  and  the  fact  of  his 
being  found  always  in  my  wake  on  my  visits  to  and 
from  several  towns  led  to  the  belief  that  he  was  spying 
upon  my  actions.  A  few  nights  after  this  poor  Rose 
on  his  return  from  sending  a  dispatch  from  the  post- 
office,  was  waylaid,  robbed  and  brutally  beaten,  and 
subsequently  brought  back  to  the  hotel  in  as  sorry  a 
plight  as  I  ever  saw." 

In  the  meantime,  in  the  winter  of  1869,  the  Fenian 
Senate  announced  the  completion  of  the  arrangements 


210    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPII  • 

for  the  invasion  of  Canada,  and  early  in  Febr-iary 
the  following  year  circulars  were  sent  out  to  the  mili- 
tary officers  of  the  Fenian  Brotherhood,  instructing 
them  to  prepare  for  the  proposed  campaign.  Those 
Brothers  whose  business  or  family  duties  prevented 
them  from  getting  their  commands  in  readiness  for 
active  and  immediate  service  were  requested  to  for- 
ward their  resignations  at  once  and  at  the  same  time 
send  on  the  names  of  persons  suitable  to  take  their 
places.  They  were  told  to  ascertain  and  report  how 
many  of  their  own  men  could  furnish  their  own  trans- 
portation, and  in  the  meantime  to  try  and  persuade  all 
of  them  to  save  enough  for  that  purpose. 

On  Saturday,  April  22,  1870,  General  O'Neill  and 
Le  Caron  left  Buffalo  for  St.  Albans,  the  general  being 
filled  with  enthusiasm  over  the  belief  that  the  Cana- 
dians would  be  taken  entirely  by  surprise,  and  Le  Caron 
laughing  in  his  sleeve  at  the  thought  of  how  his  com- 
panion would  be  fooled.  O'Neill's  plan  was  to  get 
across  the  boundary  line  without  delay  and  then  to 
entrench  himself  at  a  point  where  his  soldiers  would 
form  the  nucleus  around  which  a  large  army  and 
unlimited  support  would  rally  from  the  United  States. 
Buffalo,  Malone,  and  Franklin  were  the  three  points 
from  which  attacks  were  to  be  made.  O'Neill 
expected  i,ocxd  men  to  meet  him  at  Franklin,  on  the 
night  of  April  25,  1870.  Only  a  quarter  of  that  num 
ber  presented  themselves,  and  by  the  following  morn 
ing  not  more  than  5CXD  had  mustered.  Every  hour's 
delay  added  to  the  danger  of  failure  and  collapse.  All 
this  time  Le  Caron  was  busy  sending  messages  across 


MAJOR  LE  CARON  211 

I  border  carrying  full  details  as  to  the  time  the  Fe- 
nians would  leave  Franklin,  the  exact  points  at  which 
they  would  cross  the  border,  their  numbers,  and  the 
places  of  their  contemplated  operation. 

On  April  26  O'Neill  left  the  Franklin  Hotel  to  place 
himself  at  the  head  of  the  Fenian  Army.  Hubbard's 
Farm,  the  Fenian  camp  and  rendezvous,  was  about 
half  a  mile  from  Franklin,  and  here  all  of  the  available 
soldiers  had  been  mustered.  Arranging  them  in  line, 
O'Neill,  according  to  Le  Caron's  narrative,  addressed 
them  as  follows : 

"  Soldiers,  this  is  the  advance  guard  of  the  Irish- 
American  army  for  the  liberation  of  Ireland  from 
the  yoke  of  the  oppressor.  For  the  sake  of  your 
own  country  you  enter  that  of  the  enemy.  The 
eyes  of  your  countrymen  are  upon  you.  Forw-ard, 
march !  " 

Following  this  harangue  they  started  ofif  on  their 
expedition  with  O'Neill  at  their  head.  Before  leaving, 
O'Neill  instructed  Le  Caron  to  bring  to  his  support 
on  their  arrival  a  party  of  400  men  who  were  coming 
from  St.  Albans.  The  men  marched  with  a  certain 
amount  of  military  precision  for  all  of  them  had 
received  some  degree  of  military  training.  There  is 
no  doubt  of  the  patriotic  feelings  that  filled  their 
hearts.  In  spite  of  the  lack  of  uniformity,  and  possi- 
bly because  of  it.  the  scene  was  picturesque.  Here  and 
there  a  Fenian  coat  w^ith  its  green  and  gray  faced  with 
gold  sparkled  in  contrast  with  the  civilian  clothing 
and  the  more  somber  garb  of  the  others. 

Finally  the  volunteers  reached  a  little  wooden  bridge 


212    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

and  deployed  as  skirmishers  in  close  order,  advancing 
with  fixed  bayonets  and  cheering  wildly.  Not  a  sol- 
dier appeared  to  dispute  their  way,  but  the  dark  Cana- 
dian trees  hid  from  their  view  the  ambushed  Canadian 
volunteers,  who  were  only  awaiting  the  signal  to  spring 
out  upon  the  unsuspecting  invaders. 

All  this  time  Le  Caron,  who  had  spent  years  of  inti- 
mate association  with  many  of  the  Irishmen  and  who 
was  regarded  as  their  friend  and  confidant,  stood  upon 
the  hilltop  to  watch  the  inevitable  slaughter.  They 
advanced  a  few  yards  farther,  and  on  their  startled 
ears  came  the  whistling  sound  of  many  bullets  from 
the  rifles  of  the  ambushed  Canadians  as  they  poured 
a  deadly  volley  straight  into  their  ranks. 

Little  remains  to  be  told.  There  was  fierce  fighting 
and  terrible  bloodshed,  but  the  invaders  were  overcome 
by  superior  numbers  and  well  disciplined  troops. 
Finally  they  were  forced  to  retreat  up  to  the  hill  where 
Le  Caron  stood,  still  under  the  fire  of  their  adversaries 
and  leaving  their  dead  to  be  subsequently  buried  by  the 
Canadians. 

Seeing  that  all  was  over,  for  the  time  at  least,  the 
spy  had  hurried  off  to  the  point  where  the  St.  Albans 
contingent  had  arrived  and  were  forming.  He 
actually  took  part  in  this  ceremony,  and  while  engaged 
in  superintending  it  he  was  afforded,  as  he  says,  prac- 
tical evidence  of  the  termination  of  O'Neill's  part  in  the 
fight.  While  he  was  standing  in  the  middle  of  the 
road  where  the  men  were  forming  into  line,  he  was 
startled  by  the  cry  : 

"  Clear  the  road,  clear  the  road!  " 


MAJOR  LE  CARON  213 

He  was  almost  knocked  down  by  a  team  of  horses 
pulling  a  covered  carriage,  and  as  the  conveyance 
flashed  by  him  he  caught  through  the  carriage  window 
a  hurried  glimpse  of  the  dejected  face  of  General 
O'Neill,  who  was  seated  between  two  men.  He  said  in 
speaking  of  this  that  he  might  have  given  the  command 
to  shoot  the  horses  as  they  turned  an  adjacent  corner, 
but  it  was  no  part  of  his  purpose  to  restore  O'Neill  to 
his  command. 

It  became  known  later  that  O'Neill  was  in  the  cus- 
tody of  the  United  States  Marshal,  General  Foster, 
who,  acting  under  instructions  from  Washington,  had 
arrived  on  the  scene  of  the  battle  immediately  after  Le 
Caron  left  and  arrested  O'Neill  on  the  charge  of  break- 
ing the  neutrality  laws.  O'Neill,  who  was  in  the  com- 
pany of  his  comrades,  refused  to  surrender  and  threat- 
ened force,  but  when  General  Foster  placed  a  revolver 
at  his  head  he  succumbed. 

Late  that  afternoon  when  the  news  of  O'Neill's 
arrest  became  known,  a  council  of  war  was  held,  pre- 
sided over  by  John  Boyle  O'Reilly.  On  the  following 
morning  General  Spear,  the  secretary  of  war  of  the 
Fenian  Brotherhood,  arrived  at  St.  Albans  and  tried  to 
do  something  practical  in  the  way  of  continuing  the 
invasion.  He  pleaded  with  Le  Caron  to  supply  him 
with  400  or  500  stands  of  arms  and  ammunition  within 
the  next  twenty-four  hours,  but  the  spy  felt  that  it 
would  not  do  for  him  to  allow  further  operations,  and 
so  he  said  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  grant  the 
demands  under  the  condition  of  affairs  then  prevailing. 
Thousands  of  Canadian  troops  had  arrived  on  the  bor- 


214    THE  WOELD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

der  and  were  making  the  position  of  the  Irish  volun- 
teers more  precarious  every  moment. 

Fortunately  for  Le  Caron,  the  appearance  of  United 
States  troops  in  the  vicinity  put  any  further  attempt  at 
war  operations  out  of  the  question,  for  in  order  to 
avoid  arrest  for  a  breach  of  the  neutrality  laws  the 
Fenians  were  compelled  to  disappear.  The  spy  left 
v^ith  them  and  hurried  to  Malone  and  found  a  similar 
state  of  affairs  prevailing  there,  although  the  arrest  of 
O'Neill  and  the  anticipated  appearance  of  United 
States  troops  filled  the  invaders  with  dismay. 

Le  Caron  was  elated  with  his  success  and  anxious  to 
report  himself  at  the  Canadian  headquarters  without 
delay.  He  knew,  however,  that  it  would  not  be  safe 
for  him  to  go  direct  to  Ottaw^a  so  he  traveled  in  a 
roundabout  way.  One  night  he  stopped  with  the  Com- 
missioner of  the  Quebec  police,  and  the  following 
morning  took  a  train  for  Ottawa.  Before  this  jour- 
ney was  concluded  he  found  that  he  had  been  alto- 
gether too  premature  in  his  self  congratulations, 
because  that  journey  brought  him  closer  to  discovery 
than  he  had  ever  been  before. 

The  incident  which  threatened  to  deprive  him  of  his 
usefulness  as  a  spy  occurred  at  Cornwall  where  there 
was  the  usual  half  hour's  delay  for  dinner.  He  w^as 
in  the  midst  of  his  meal,  enjoying  it  with  great  zest  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  his  work  as  a  spy  had  sent  hun- 
dreds of  men  to  their  death,  when  two  men  stopped  and 
gazed  at  him  with  unusual  interest.  One  of  them  was 
tall  and  very  military  in  his  manner,  and  the  other 
had  on  clerical  attire.     As  Le  Caron  cease.d  eating  he 


MAJOR  LE  CARON  215 

heard  the  clerical  looking  one  say  as  he  pointed  his 
finger  in  his  direction : 
"  That  is  the  man !  " 

Advancing,  the  tall  man,  who  subsequently  turned 
out  to  be  the  Mayor  of  Cornwall,  said  with  a  Scotch 
accent : 

"You  are  my  prisoner!" 

These  words  were  accompanied  with  a  strong  grasp 
of  the  hand  on  the  shoulder  of  the  suspected  one.  He 
imagined  there  was  some  mistake,  and  laughed  as  he 
turned  around  to  resume  his  dinner,  but  the  Scotch- 
man ga\c  an  added  squeeze  to  his  arm  as  he  solemnly 
repeated  the  words : 

"  You  are  my  prisoner,  and  you  must  go  with  me 
at  once." 

It  turned  out  later  that  the  ministerial  looking  per- 
son was  a  wandering  preacher  who  happened  to  be  in 
the  vicinity  of  Malone  when  Le  Caron  was  loading 
arms  there  and  he  had  been  pointed  out  to  him  as  the 
leading  Fenian  agent.  The  preacher's  memory  was  a 
very  good  one,  and  he  immediately  recognized  the  spy 
when  he  met  him  again. 

It  was  a  serious  condition  of  affairs  for  Le  Caron, 
but  still  he  could  not  entirely  comprehend  what  it  all 
meant,  and  he  said  : 

"  Will  not  you  let  me  finish  my  dinner?  " 

"  No,"  was  the  sharp  reply,  "  you  have  got  to  come 
at  once." 

"  For  what  reason  am  I  arrested?  "  asked  Le  Caron. 

"  You  are  a  Fenian,''  was  the  indignant  reply,  and 
then  for  the  first  time  the  spy  noticed  that  the  crowd  in 


216    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

the  room  was  beginning  to  show  signs  of  anger  and 
indignation  toward  him. 

He  was  hurried  out  by  his  captors  and  taken  to  a 
room  adjoining  the  ticket  office,  where  a  demand  was 
made  on  him  for  his  luggage  and  keys  with  everything 
on  his  person.  He  had  with  him  documents  which 
would  reveal  everything  if  they  were  made  public. 
His  position  was  dangerous,  as  he  puts  it  "  distinctly 
dangerous." 

In  this  emergency  he  asked  the  Mayor  for  a  few 
minutes'  pri\'ate  conversation,  and  it  was  accorded 
him.  They  went  inside  the  ticket  office  and  Le  Caron 
told  him  the  exact  situation.  It  was  true,  he  admitted, 
that  he  had  been  working  with  the  Fenians,  but  he  was 
also  a  Government  agent.  In  fact  he  was  a  British 
spy  who  had  been  keeping  the  Canadian  officials 
informed  of  the  details  of  the  proposed  invasion.  He 
said  that  he  was  then  on  his  way  to  Ottawa  to  see 
Judge  McMicken.  He  said  that  to  delay  or  expose 
him  would  mean  serious  difficulty  to  the  Government. 

His  manner  must  have  impressed  the  Mayor,  for  he 
decided  to  send  him  on  to  Ottawa  in  charge  of  an  escort 
with  instructions  to  find  out  from  Judge  McMicken 
whether  his  story  was  to  be  believed.  The  details  of 
Le  Caron's  arrest  as  a  Fenian  quickly  spread  amongst 
his  fellow  passengers  and  the  reception  he  received 
along  the  journey  was  not  very  agreeable,  so  for 
safety's  sake  the  lieutenant  transferred  him  to  the 
care  of  a  sergeant  and  two  other  soldiers.  The  car- 
riage in  which  they  traveled  was  the  sole  point  of 
attraction  in  the  train,  and  the  Canadians,  crowding 


MAJOR  LE  CARON  217 

around  this  carriage,  hissed  and  hooted  him,  while  their 
cries  of  "  Hang  him!  Lynch  him!  "  gave  him  a  very 
uncomfortable  idea  of  what  would  happen  if  he  were 
left  alone  amongst  them. 

On  reaching  Prescott  junction  Le  Caron  found  the 
news  of  his  capture  had  preceded  him  and  created  such 
a  sensation  that  a  special  correspondent  of  the  Toronto 
Globe  had  traveled  to  meet  him  in  order  to  find  out 
who  and  what  he  was  and  everything  about  him.  The 
spy  of  course  refused  to  have  anything  to  say.  When 
the  party  arrived  at  Ottawa  a  representative  of  Judge 
McMicken  was  waiting  for  him  at  the  station.  He 
was  conveyed  to  the  police  station  without  delay,  and 
there  the  judge  heard  the  details  of  his  capture  and 
received  possession  of  his  person  and  gave  a  formal 
receipt  for  his  custody.  After  the  guard  left  the  judge 
listened  to  the  recital  of  the  spy  and  arranged  that  his 
identity  should  not  become  public.  He  also  supplied 
him  with  needful  funds  to  leave  Canada.  This  came 
in  the  form  of  a  check  and  it  was  necessary  to  have 
some  one  cash  it.  This  was  done  at  one  of  the  clubs 
in  Ottawa  and  the  amount  of  the  check  —  $350.00  — 
caused  the  club  porter  to  speak  of  it  to  some  of  his 
friends.  This  porter  knew  that  Le  Caron  was  the 
Fenian  prisoner  and  he  let  out  the  secret  a  little  later. 
It  became  public  property  and  the  Canadian  press  pub- 
lished the  fact  that  an  important  Fenian  had  been  in 
Ottawa  immediately  after  the  raid  and  received  a 
large  sum  of  money  from  a  Government  official  with 
whom  he  was  in  communication,  adding  that  the  Fe- 
nians must  have  been  nicely  duped  all  through. 


218    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

Le  Caron  was  very  much  disturbed  by  this  pubhca- 
tion.  It  was  bringing  danger  very  close  to  him,  and 
yet  strange  as  it  may  appear,  suspicion  did  not  rest 
upon  him  in  connection  with  the  newspaper  story.  He 
drove  from  Ottawa  in  the  night  and  got  safely  home, 
not  being  troubled  afterwards  by  any  of  the  events  of 
that  fateful  invasion  into  Canada. 

Le  Caron  studied  medicine  after  that  and  subse- 
quently became  connected  with  the  Clan-na-Gael.  He 
became  one  of  the  members  of  the  military  board  of 
organization  and  in  that  capacity  continued  to  send 
information  to  his  friends  at  Scotland  Yard.  While 
he  was  in  this  organization  he  became  acquainted  with 
many  of  its  leading  members  who  believed  that  he  was 
really  a  friend  of  Ireland  and  who  never  suspected  that 
he  was  connected  with  the  British  Government  and 
was  regularly  receiving  compensation  for  the  informa- 
tion which  he  sent  from  time  to  time  to  the  home  office 
in  London. 

Le  Caron  continued  to  serve  as  an  English  spy  for 
nearly  twenty  years  after  the  Fenian  invasion  of  Can- 
ada. His  part  in  that  afifair  —  or  at  least  the  part  he 
played  in  keeping  the  Canadian  and  English  govern- 
ments informed  of  the  movements  of  the  Irish  patriots 
—  was  never  suspected  by  the  men  with  whom  he  was 
associated  and  with  whom  he  lived  on  such  intimate 
terms.  He  was  in  constant  communication  with  Mr. 
Anderson,  the  head  of  Scotland  Yard,  and  his  letters 
to  that  official,  if  gathered  together,  would  make  a 
volume  in  themselves.  On  one  occasion  when  he  was 
leaving  America  for  a  trip  abroad  he  was  entrusted 


MAJOR  LE  CARON  219 

with  letters  to  Patrick  Egan  and  other  Irish  leaders. 
He  met  Egan  in  Paris,  and  spent  weeks  with  him  in 
visiting  places  of  interest  in  the  French  capital.  They 
attended  the  theater  together  and  dined  at  various 
restaurants  in  cuinpany,  and  Le  Caron  proudly  boasts 
that  he  ne\er  had  to  spend  a  penny,  because  Egan 
insisted  upon  being  the  host  at  their  various  enter- 
tainments. 

But  it  was  when  the  famous  suit  of  Parnell  against 
the  London  Times  was  tried  that  the  spy  was  at  last 
revealed  in  his  true  light.     He  says  of  that  event : 

"  On  Tuesday  morning,  the  5th  of  February,  1889, 
the  curtain  was  rung  up,  and  throwing  aside  the  mask 
forever,  I  stepped  into  the  witness  box  and  came  out  in 
my  true  colors,  as  an  Englishman,  proud  of  his  coun- 
try, and  in  no  sense  ashamed  of  his  record  in  her  ser- 
vices." 

Flis  one  complaint  was  that  he  had  been  treated  badly 
in  the  matter  of  his  pay  by  the  British  Government. 
He  said  that  "  the  miserable  pittance  doled  out  for  the 
purpose  of  fighting  the  Clan-na-Gael  becomes  perfectly 
ludicrous  "  in  the  light  of  the  service  he  was  called  on 
to  perform. 

It  all  depends  upon  the  way  in  which  the  business 
is  regarded,  and  there  are  still  a  great  many  persons 
that  will  resent  the  effort  of  Thomas  Beach,  or  Major 
Henri  Le  Caron,  to  place  a  halo  about  his  head. 


XV 


HOW  EMMA  EDMONDS  PENETRATED 
THE  CONFEDERATE  LINES 


XV 

HOW  EMMA  EDMONDS  PENETRATED 
THE  CONFEDERATE  LINES 

THIS  is  a  leaf  from  the  life  of  an  extraordinary 
woman  who  served  as  a  nurse  and  a  spy  in  the 
Union  army  during  the  Civil  War  in  the  United 
States,  and  who  was  a  pronounced  success  in  both 
capacities.  Few  women  that  have  passed  through  such 
thrilling  adventures  are  so  little  known  to  fame,  yet  if 
the  patient  seeker  be  willing  to  spare  the  time  and  the 
labor  he  may  find  in  the  files  of  the  War  Department 
at  Washington  reports  in  her  handwriting  which  had  a 
material  influence  upon  more  than  one  battle  during 
the  four  years  of  the  war. 

Emma  Edmonds  was  an  adopted  American.  She 
was  born  and  educated  in  the  province  of  New  Bruns- 
wick, but  came  to  the  United  States  at  an  early  age. 
She  was  passing  through  New  York  on  her  way  to  her 
future  home  in  New  England  when  the  newspapers 
appeared  on  the  street  with  the  announcement  of  the 
fall  of  Fort  Sumter,  and  President  Lincoln's  call  for 
seventy-five  thousand  men.  That  happening  changed 
the  entire  course  of  her  life.  Ten  days  later  she  had 
been  enrolled  as  a  field  nurse  in  the  L^nion  army,  and 
was  in  Washington  waiting  to  be  detailed  for  duty. 
The  first  assignment  came  sooner  than  was  expected. 

223 


224    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

Almost  before  she  knew  it  she  was  in  the  thick  of  the 
work  that  followed  the  battle  of  Manassas.  She  spent 
three  hours  with  other  nurses  in  caring  for  the  needs 
of  the  men  —  even  while  the  battle  was  in  progress. 
Presently  the  enemy  made  a  desperate  charge  on  the 
Union  troops,  driving  them  back  and  taking  possession 
of  the  spring  from  which  they  obtained  their  water. 
The  chaplain's  horse  was  shot  from  under  him  and 
bled  to  death  in  a  little  w^hile.  Not  long  afterwards 
Colonel  Cameron,  brother  of  the  Secretary  of  War, 
came  dashing  along  the  line  shouting : 

"  Come  on,  boys,  they're  in  full  retreat!  " 
The  words  had  scarcely  been  uttered  when  he  fell, 
pierced  to  the  heart  by  a  bullet.  It  was  mortal  and  all 
that  the  nurse  could  do  was  to  fold  his  arms,  close  his 
eyes  and  leave  him  in  the  cold  embrace  of  death.  And 
all  the  while  the  battle  raged  about  them.  This  was 
but  one  of  a  score  of  incidents  that  prepared  a  frail 
woman  for  the  breath-taking  career  which  she  was  to 
follow  during  the  four  years  of  the  Civil  War  —  inci- 
dents which  are  more  thrilling  than  those  to  be  found 
in  the  pages  of  the  most  exciting  fiction. 

All  of  this  was  preliminary  to  Emma  Edmonds'  work 
as  a  spy.  One  morning  a  detachment  of  the  Thirty- 
seventh  New  York  Regiment  that  had  been  sent  out  on 
scouting  duty  returned  with  several  prisoners  and  the 
statement  that  one  of  the  Federal  spies  had  been  cap- 
tured and  executed.  There  was  regret,  not  alone  over 
the  death  of  the  man,  but  also  because  a  valuable  soldier 
had  been  lost  to  the  United  States  Secret  Service. 
Incidentally  it  brought  the  opportunity  for  which  the 


EMMA  EDMONDS  225 

fearless  woman  had  been  waiting.  She  was  told  that 
she  might  have  the  opportunity  of  becoming  a  spy  if 
she  fully  realized  the  danger  and  the  responsibility  that 
was  attached  to  the  post.  She  considered  it  carefully 
and  said  that  if  appointed  she  would  accept  and  do  the 
best  she  knew  how  for  the  Government. 

Her  name  was  sent  to  headquarters,  and  she  was 
soon  summoned  to  appear  there  herself.  She  was 
questioned  and  cross-questioned  at  some  length ;  she 
was  examined  at  length  as  to  her  knowledge  of  fire- 
arms, and  finally  the  oath  of  allegiance  was  adminis- 
tered and  she  became  a  regular  commissioned  spy  for 
the  Federal  army.  It  was  at  once  decided  that  she 
should  adopt  a  disguise  and  attempt  to  penetrate  the 
Confederate  lines. 

In  the  first  place  she  purchased  a  suit  of  contraband 
clothing,  real  plantation  style  such  as  the  male  negroes 
wore,  and  then  went  to  a  barber  and  had  her  hair 
sheared  close  to  her  head.  After  that,  by  the  use  of 
stains  and  dyes  she  colored  her  face,  and  then  she  was 
ready  for  business.  It  might  be  well  to  state,  at  this 
stage  of  the  narrative,  that  Emma  Edmonds  while  in 
the  secret  service  penetrated  the  enemy's  lines,  in  va- 
rious disguises,  no  less  than  eleven  times ;  always  with 
complete  success  and  without  detection. 

She  started  on  her  first  expedition  toward  the  Con- 
federate capitol  with  the  greatest  confidence  imagin- 
able. With  a  few  hard  crackers  in  her  pocket  and  her 
revolver  loaded  and  capped  she  began  the  journey  on 
foot,  and  without  a  blanket  or  any  other  kind  of  bag- 
gage that  might  excite  suspicion.     At  half -past  nine 


226    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

o'clock  at  night  she  passed  the  outer  picket  Hne  of  the 
Union  army  and  at  twelve  o'clock  was  within  the  Con- 
federate lines  without  once  being  halted  by  a  sentinel. 
Once  she  passed  within  ten  rods  of  a  Confederate 
picket  without  being  detected. 

As  soon  as  she  had  gone  a  safe  distance  from  the 
picket  lines  she  lay  down  and  rested  until  morning. 
The  night  was  chilly  and  the  ground  damp  and  she 
passed  the  weary  hours  in  fear  and  trembling.  The 
first  thing  in  the  morning  she  met  a  party  of  negroes 
carrying  hot  coffee  and  provisions  to  the  Confederate 
pickets.  This  was  most  fortunate  for  she  made  their 
acquaintance,  and  after  securing  a  hot  breakfast  she 
marched  into  Yorktown  with  them  without  eliciting  the 
slightest  suspicion.  The  negroes  went  to  work  at  once 
on  fortifications  that  were  being  erected,  and  the  spy 
was  left  by  herself.  But  an  ofiicer  seeing  her  a  few 
minutes  later  turned  to  an  overseer  and  said : 

"  Take  that  black  rascal  and  set  him  to  work,  and  if 
he  don't  work  well  tie  him  up  and  give  him  twenty 
lashes." 

So  saying  he  rode  away,  and  the  disguised  one  was 
conducted  to  a  breastwork  which  was  in  course  of  erec- 
tion and  where  there  were  about  a  hundred  negroes 
at  work.  She  was  soon  furnished  with  a  pick  and 
shovel  and  a  wheelbarrow  and  put  to  work.  It  was 
hard  —  hard  enough  for  the  strongest  man,  but  with 
occasional  assistance  from  some  kind-hearted  darky 
she  managed  to  do  her  part.  All  day  long  she  worked 
in  this  manner  until  her  hands  were  blistered  and 
her  back  nearly  broken.     When  night  came  she  was 


EMMA  EDMONDS  227 

released  from  her  toil  and  was  free  to  go  where  she 
pleased.  She  made  good  use  of  her  liberty.  She 
wandered  about  the  place  and  made  out  a  brief  report 
of  the  mounted  guns  she  found  in  her  ramble  around 
the  fort.  There  were  fifteen  three-inch  rille  cannon, 
eighteen  four  and  a  half  inch  rifle  cannon,  twenty-nine 
thirt)-two  pounders,  twenty-three  eight-inch  Colum- 
biads,  eleven  nine-inch  Dalgrens,  thirteen  ten-inch  Col- 
umbiads,  fourteen  ten-inch  mortars  and  seven  eight- 
inch  siege  howitzers. 

This  capitulation  must  sound  strange  to  those 
acquainted  with  present-day  methods  of  w^arfare,  but 
it  was  all  very  important  to  the  spy,  who  made  out  her 
list  with  the  greatest  care.  After  that  she  made  a 
rough  sketch  of  the  outer  works,  and  placing  the  pre- 
cious papers  under  the  inner  sole  of  her  contraband 
shoe  she  returned  to  the  negro  quarters.  She  did  not 
want  to  stay  with  them,  but  she  did  wish  to  find  some 
one  among  them  who  would  change  places  with  her  on 
the  following  day.  She  was  fortunate  in  discovering 
a  lad  of  about  her  own  size  who  was  engaged  in  carry- 
ing water  to  the  troops.  He  said  he  would  take  her 
place  next  day  and  he  thought  he  could  find  a  friend  to 
do  the  same  thing  the  following  day,  for  which  evi- 
dence of  brotherly  kindness  the  female  spy  offered  him 
$5.00  in  greenbacks,  which,  he  said,  was  more  money 
than  he  had  ever  seen  in  all  of  his  life  before.  By  this 
arrangement  Miss  Edmonds  escaped  the  scrutiny  of 
the  overseer,  who  might  have  detected  her  disguise. 

The  second  day  in  the  Confederate  service  was  pleas- 
anter  than  the  first.     She  had  only  to  supply  one  bri- 


228    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

gade  with  water,  which  did  not  require  much  energy, 
for  the  day  was  cool  and  the  well  not  far  distant.  As 
a  result  of  this  she  had  an  opportunity  of  lounging 
among  the  soldiers  and  of  hearing  important  steps  dis- 
cussed. In  this  way  she  learned  the  number  of  reen- 
forcements  which  had  arrived  from  different  places 
and  also  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  General  Lee,  who 
came  there  to  consult  with  other  Confederates.  It 
was  whispered  among  the  men  that  he  had  been  tele- 
graphed to  for  the  purpose  of  inspecting  the  fortifica- 
tions, as  he  was  the  best  engineer  in  the  Confederacy 
and  that  he  had  pronounced  it  impossible  to  hold  York- 
town  after  McClellan  opened  his  siege  guns  upon  it. 
General  Johnson  was  hourly  expected  with  a  force  at 
his  command,  and  including  all,  the  Confederates  esti- 
mated their  force  in  and  around  Yorktown  at  150,000 
men. 

When  General  Johnson  arrived  a  council  of  war  was 
held.  Soon  after  that  the  report  began  to  circulate 
that  the  town  was  to  be  evacuated.  It  was  at  this 
stage  of  the  game  that  Miss  Edmonds  saw  a  man  who 
had  been  coming  into  the  Federal  camp  as  a  peddler  of 
newspapers  and  stationery,  and  now  here  he  was  giv- 
ing the  Confederates  a  full  description  of  the  Union 
camp  and  the  Union  forces.  She  watched  him  closely 
and  discovered  him  displaying  a  map  of  the  entire 
works  of  McClellan's  position. 

Miss  Edmonds  decided  that  it  was  of  the  utmost 
importance  for  her  to  leave  the  camp  of  the  enemy  and 
carry  the  information  she  possessed  to  the  Union 
headquarters.     The  important  thing  now  was  to  leave 


EMMA  EDMONDS  229 

without  being  detected.  On  the  evening  of  the  third 
day  from  the  time  she  entered  the  camp  of  the  enemy 
she  was  sent  in  company  with  colored  men  to  carry 
supper  to  the  outer  picket  posts.  This  was  just  what 
she  hoped  and  wished  for.  During  the  day  she  had 
provided  herself  with  a  canteen  of  whisky.  Some  of 
the  men  on  picket  duty  were  colored  and  others  were 
white,  but  calling  them  to  her  side  she  spread  before 
them  corn  cake  and  added  to  that  a  moderate  amount 
of  whisky  for  dessert.  While  they  were  thus  engaged 
minnie  balls  were  whistling  around  their  heads,  for  the 
picket  lines  of  the  two  armies  were  not  more  than  half 
a  mile  distant  from  each  other. 

Not  long  after  nightfall  an  ofBcer  came  riding  along 
the  lines,  and  seeing  the  spy  there,  wanted  to  know  his 
business.  One  of  the  darkies  replied  that  she  had 
helped  to  carry  out  their  supper  and  was  waiting  until 
the  Yankees  stopped  firing  before  she  started  back. 
Turning  to  the  disguised  one,  he  said : 

"  You  come  along  with  me.  I'll  see  that  you  have 
something  to  occupy  your  mind." 

Miss  Edmonds  did  as  she  was  ordered  and  they  went 
back  the  way  he  had  come  until  they  had  gone  about 
fifty  rods,  then  halting  in  front  of  a  petty  officer  he 
said : 

"  Put  this  fellow  on  the  post  where  that  man  was 
shot  —  and  see  that  he  stays  there  until  I  return." 

So  the  spy  was  conducted  a  few  rods  farther  and 
then  a  ritle  put  in  her  hands,  which  she  was  told  to  use 
freely  in  case  she  should  see  anybody  or  anything 
approaching  from  the  enemy.     The  officer,  of  course, 


230    THE  AYORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

regarded  her  as  an  irresponsible  negro,  and  after  giv- 
ing her  the  assignment  took  her  by  the  coat  collar  and 
gave  her  a  vigorous  shake. 

"  Now,  you  black  rascal,"  he  cried,  "  if  I  catch  you 
sleeping  at  your  post  I'll  shoot  you  like  a  dog." 

It  was  a  startling  position  for  a  stranger  in  a  strange 
land,  especially  when  that  one  happened  to  be  a  female 
spy  in  disguise.  The  night  was  very  dark  and  it  was 
beginning  to  rain.  She  was  all  alone  now  and  she 
could  not  guess  when  she  would  be  relieved  or  just 
what  the  next  hour  might  bring  forth.  Her  one 
thought  was  to  escape.  After  ascertaining  as  well  as 
possible  the  position  of  the  picket  on  each  side  of  her 
—  each  of  whom  was  enjoying  the  shelter  of  the  near- 
est tree  —  she  deliberately  and  noiselessly  stepped  into 
the  darkness  and  was  soon  gliding  swiftly  through  the 
forest  toward  the  Union  lines.  She  had  to  make  her 
approach  very  carefully  for  she  was  in  as  much  dan- 
ger of  being  shot  by  her  friends  as  by  the  enemy,  so 
she  spent  the  remainder  of  the  night  within  hailing 
distance  of  the  Union  lines,  and  with  the  first  dawn  of 
morning  hoisted  the  well  known  signal  and  was  heart- 
ily welcomed  back  to  her  own  camp. 

She  made  her  way  to  the  tent  containing  the  hos- 
pital nurses  and  removed  as  much  of  the  color  from 
her  face  as  was  possible  with  the  aid  of  soap  and 
water.  She  then  made  out  a  report  and  carried  it  to 
the  headquarters  of  General  McClellan.  He  was  in- 
tensely interested  in  the  news  that  had  been  brought 
him  and  heartily  congratulated  the  spy  on  her  work. 
The  rifle  which  she  had  carried  from  the  Confederate 


EMMA  EDMONDS  231 

lines  was  an  object  of  much  curiosity,  and  it  is  now 
said  to  be  in  one  of  the  museums  in  the  national  capitol 
as  a  memento  of  the  war. 

It  was  several  weeks  before  the  female  spy  received 
her  second  assignment,  and  then  when  it  came  a  new 
disguise  was  necessary.  The  African  costume  was 
abandoned  and  she  decided  to  go  into  the  Confederate 
lines  this  time  in  the  capacity  of  an  Irish  apple  woman, 
so  she  procured  the  dress  and  outfit  that  was  necessary 
for  this  impersonation  and  also  practiced  the  brogue 
that  might  be  needed  to  carry  her  through  the  emer- 
gency. The  bridges  were  not  finished  across  the 
Chickahominy  when  she  was  ready  to  cross  the  river, 
so  she  packed  up  her  new  disguise  in  the  cake  and  pie 
basket  and  swam  across  the  river  mounted  on  her 
horse,  which  was  known  as  Frank.  Reaching  the 
other  side  she  dismounted  and  led  him  to  the  edge  of 
the  water.  Giving  him  a  farewell  pat  she  permitted 
him  to  swim  back  to  the  other  side,  where  a  soldier 
awaited  his  return. 

It  was  night,  and  as  she  did  not  know  the  precise 
distance  to  the  enemy's  picket  lines  she  thought  it  best 
to  avoid  the  road  and  consequently  determined  to 
spend  the  night  in  the  swamp.  It  required  some  time 
to  put  on  her  new  disguise  and  to  feel  at  home  in  the 
clothes.  She  whimsically  said  at  the  time  that  she 
thought  the  best  place  for  her  debut  as  an  apple  woman 
was  the  Chickahominy  swamp.  She  did  not  propose 
this  time  to  pass  the  enemy's  lines  in  the  night,  but  to 
present  herself  at  the  picket  line  at  a  seasonable  hour 
and  to  ask  admission  as  one  of  the  fugitives  of  that 


232    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

section  who  was  flying  at  the  approach  of  the  Yan- 
kees. 

In  crossing  the  river  she  had  her  basket  strapped  on 
her  back  and  did  not  know  that  its  contents  were  com- 
pletely drenched  until  she  was  required  to  use  them. 
Later  she  discovered  with  much  terror  that  she  was 
suffering  from  fever  and  ague  as  a  result  of  spending  • 
the  night  in  the  wet  clothing  in  that  malaria  infested 
region.  Her  mind  began  to  wander  and  she  became 
delirious.  There  seemed  to  be  the  horrors  of  a  thou- 
sand deaths  centered  around  her.  She  was  tortured 
by  fiends  of  every  shape  and  magnitude,  but  morning 
came  at  last  and  she  was  aroused  from  the  nightmare 
which  had  paralyzed  her  senses  by  the  roar  of  the  can- 
non and  the  screaming  of  the  shells. 

The  cannonading  ceased  in  a  few  hours,  but  the 
chills  and  fever  clung  to  the  spy  and  were  her  constant 
companion  for  two  days  and  two  nights.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  she  was  certainly  an  object  of  pity;  with 
no  medicine  or  food  and  little  strength,  she  was  almost 
in  a  state  of  starvation.  Her  pies  and  cakes  were 
spoiled  and  she  had  no  means  of  procuring  more.  It 
was  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  third  day  after 
crossing  the  river  when  she  started  to  what  she  thought 
was  the  enemy's  lines.  She  traveled  from  that  time 
until  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  and  was  then  deeper 
in  the  swamp  than  when  she  started.  As  it  was  a  dark 
day  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  she  had  neither  sun 
nor  compass  to  guide  her,  but  at  five  o'clock  the  boom- 
ing of  cannon  came  to  her  like  music,  because  it  was 
the  signal  that  would  guide  her  out  of  the  wilderness. 


EMMA  EDMONDS  233 

She  turned  her  face  in  the  direction  of  the  scene  of 
action  and  soon  after  emerging  from  the  swamp  she 
saw  a  small  white  house  in  the  distance. 

The  house  was  deserted  with  the  exception  of  a  sick 
Confederate  soldier  who  lay  on  a  straw  tick  on  the 
floor  in  a  helpless  condition.  He  had  been  ill  with 
t}  phoid  fever  and  was  very  weak. 

He  told  her,  however,  that  the  family  who  had  occu- 
pied the  house  had  left  some  flour  and  corn  meal  but 
did  not  have  time  to  cook  anything  for  him.  This 
was  good  news  to  the  exhausted  spy,  and  she  soon 
kindled  a  fire  and  in  less  than  fifteen  minutes  a  large 
hoe  cake  was  in  the  process  of  baking.  She  found 
some  tea  packed  away  in  a  small  basket  and  the  cake 
being  cooked  and  the  tea  made  she  fed  the  poor  fam- 
ished man  as  tenderly  as  if  he  had  been  her  brother, 
and  after  that  she  tended  to  the  cravings  of  her  own 
appetite.  But  it  was  quite  evident  that  the  man  could 
not  recover.  He  was  dying.  She  did  everything  in 
her  power  to  make  him  comfortable,  but  it  was  quite 
plain  that  he  only  had  a  few  hours  to  live.  While  she 
stood  by  his  side  he  said : 

"  I  have  a  last  request  to  make.  H  you  ever  pass 
through  the  Confederate  camp  between  this  and  Rich- 
mond inquire  for  Major  ]\IcKee  of  General  Ewell's 
staff  and  give  him  a  gold  watch  which  you  will  find 
in  my  pocket.  He  will  know  what  to  do  with  it,  and 
tell  him  I  died  happy  and  peaceful." 

His  name  was  Allen  Hall.  Taking  a  ring  from  his 
finger  he  tried  to  put  it  on  hers,  but  his  strength  failed 
and  after  a  pause  he  said : 


234    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

"  Keep  that  ring  in  memory  of  one  whose  sufferings 
you  have  alleviated  and  whose  soul  has  been  refreshed 
by  your  presence  in  the  hour  of  dissolution." 

He  folded  his  hands  together  as  a  little  child  would 
do  at  its  mother's  knee.  She  gave  him  some  water, 
raised  the  window  and  used  her  hat  for  a  fan  and  then 
sat  down,  as  she  put  it,  "  And  watched  the  last  glim- 
mering spark  of  life  go  out  from  those  beautiful  win- 
dows of  the  soul." 

He  died  at  twelve  o'clock  that  night  and  after  the 
involuntary  nurse  had  wrapped  the  form  of  her  late 
patient  in  his  winding  sheet  she  laid  down  in  a  corner 
of  the  room  and  slept  soundly  until  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  It  was  a  curious  situation,  but  it  did  not 
seem  to  affect  the  nerve  of  this  remarkable  woman. 
She  cut  a  lock  of  hair  from  the  head  of  the  dead  man, 
took  the  watch  and  a  small  package  of  letters  from  his 
pocket  and  left  the  house. 

On  examining  the  basket  in  which  she  had  found 
the  tea  she  discovered  a  number  of  articles  which  as- 
sisted her  in  assuming  a  more  perfect  disguise.  There 
was  mustard,  pepper,  an  old  pair  of  green  spectacles 
and  a  bottle  of  red  ink.  Of  the  mustard  she  made  a 
strong  plaster  about  the  size  of  a  silver  dollar  and  tied 
it  on  one  side  of  her  face  until  it  blistered  thoroughly. 

She  then  removed  the  blister  and  put  on  a  large 
patch  of  black  court  plaster.  After  giving  her  pale 
complexion  a  deep  tinge  with  some  ochre  which  she 
found  in  a  closet,  she  put  on  her  green  glasses  and 
Irish  hat.  She  had  previously  made  a  tour  of  the 
house  to  find  the  fixings  which  an  Irish  woman  would 


EMMA  EDMONDS  235 

be  supposed  to  carry  with  her  in  such  an  emergency, 
for  she  fully  expected  to  be  searched  before  she  was 
admitted  through  the  lines. 

She  followed  the  Richmond  road  about  five  miles 
before  meeting  any  one.  At  length  she  saw  a  sentinel 
in  the  distance,  but  before  he  observed  her  she  sat  down 
to  rest  and  prepare  her  mind  for  the  coming  interview. 
While  thus  waiting  to  have  her  courage  reenforced, 
she  took  from  her  basket  the  black  pepper  and  sprin- 
kled a  little  of  it  on  her  pocket  handkerchief,  and  then 
applied  the  moisture  to  her  eyes.  The  effect  of  it  was 
all  that  could  be  desired,  for  taking  a  view  of  her 
face  in  a  small  mirror  which  she  always  carried,  she 
perceived  that  her  eyes  had  a  fine  tender  expression 
which  added  very  much  to  their  beauty.  She  now 
resumed  her  journey  and  displayed  a  flag  of  truce,  a 
window  curtain  which  she  had  brought  from  the  house 
where  she  had  stopped  over  night.  As  she  came 
nearer,  the  sentinel  signaled  for  her  to  advance,  which 
she  did  as  fast  as  she  could  under  the  circumstances. 
He  cross  questioned  her  at  some  length  and  then  per- 
mitted her  to  pass  along  the  road,  saying  that  she  might 
go  wherever  she  pleased. 

After  thanking  the  man  for  his  kindness,  she  went 
her  way  toward  the  Confederate  camp.  She  had  not 
gone  far  when  he  called  her  back  and  advised  her  not 
to  stay  in  the  camp  over  night,  adding: 

"  One  of  our  spies  has  just  come  in  and  reported 
that  the  Yankees  have  finished  the  bridges  across  the 
Chickahominy  and  intend  to  attack  us  either  to-day  or 
to-night,  but  Jackson  and  Lee  are  ready   for  them. 


236     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

We  have  masked  batteries  in  all  parts  of  the  road. 
There  is  one  over  there  that'll  give  them  fits,  if  they 
come  this  way." 

This  was  important  information,  and  Miss  Edmonds 
made  up  her  mind  at  once  that  she  must  get  all  the 
news  that  was  possible  before  night  and  then  make  her 
way  back  to  the  Union  camp  before  the  battle  began. 
At  five  o'clock  that  afternoon  she  met  Major  McKee, 
and,  carrying  out  the  promise  she  made  to  the  dying 
Confederate,  she  delivered  to  him  the  watch  and 
package.  She  did  not  require  any  black  pepper  to 
assist  the  tears  in  performing  their  duty,  for  the  sad 
mementoes  which  she  had  just  delivered  were  a  forci- 
ble reminder  of  the  scenes  of  the  past  night,  and  she 
could  not  refrain  from  weeping.  The  major,  grave 
and  stern  as  he  was,  sat  there  with  his  face  between  his 
hands  and  sobbed  like  a  child.  Soon  he  rose  to  his 
feet,  surveyed  her  from  head  to  foot  and  said : 

"  You  are  a  faithful  woman  and  you  shall  be 
rewarded." 

At  his  request  she  consented  to  show  a  detachment 
of  the  guards  the  house  where  Allen's  body  lay.  They 
made  their  way  there  cautiously,  lest  they  should  be 
surprised  by  the  Federals.  Miss  Edmonds  rode  at  the 
head  of  the  little  band  of  Confederates  as  a  guide,  not 
knowing  but  that  she  was  leading  them  into  the  jaws 
of  death.  They  traveled  thus  for  five  miles,  silently, 
thoughtfully  and  stealthily.  The  sun  had  gone  down 
when  they  came  in  sight  of  the  little  white  cottage  in 
the  forest  where  she  had  so  recently  spent  such  a 
strange  night.     As  they  drew  near  and  saw  no  sign 


EMMA  EDMONDS  237 

of  approaching  Federals,  they  regretted  that  they  had 
not  brought  an  ambulance,  but  Miss  Edmonds  did  not 
regret  it  for  the  arrangement  suited  her  admirably. 
They  were  soon  at  the  gate  of  the  house.  The  ser- 
geant ordered  the  corporal  to  proceed  inside  with  a 
squad  of  men  and  bring  out  the  corpse  while  he  sta- 
tioned the  remaining  men  to  guard  all  the  approaches 
to  the  house.  He  then  asked  Miss  Edmonds  to  ride 
down  the  road  a  little  way  to  watch  out  lor  the 
Yankees  with  instructions  to  ride  back  as  fast  as  pos- 
sible if  she  detected  any  of  the  hated  tribe. 

She  assented  joyfully.  It  was  the  very  thing  for 
which  she  had  been  watching  and  waiting.  She 
turned  and  rode  slowly  down  the  road,  but  not  seeing 
or  hearing  anything  of  the  Yankees  whimsically 
thought  it  best  to  keep  on  in  that  direction  until  she 
did.  She  says  that  she  was  like  the  Zouave  after  the 
battle  of  Bull  Run  who  said  he  was  ordered  to  retreat 
but  not  being  ordered  to  halt  in  any  particular  place 
preferred  to  keep  on  until  he  reached  New  York.  So 
Miss  Edmonds  preferred  to  keep  on  until  she  reached 
the  Chickahominy  where  she  reported  all  the  informa- 
tion she  had  gathered  to  the  Federal  general  who  was 
in  charge. 

The  news  that  she  brought  was  of  the  highest 
importance  and  proved  to  be  of  great  assistance  to  the 
officers  in  arranging  their  final  plans  for  the  forth- 
coming battle.  This  was  the  last  feat  undertaken  by 
Miss  Edmonds,  and  by  a  curious  chain  of  circum- 
stances it  enabled  her  to  take  part  in  one  of  the  most 
thrilling  battles  of  the  war. 


238    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

The  battle  of  Hanover  Court  House  is  counted 
among  the  heroic  engagements  of  that  year,  and  was  a 
very  important  victory  for  the  army  of  the  Potomac. 

Three  days  after  this  battle  while  the  army  was 
divided  by  the  Chickahominy  River,  a  portion  of  the 
troops  having  crossed  over  the  day  before,  a  most 
fearful  storm  swept  over  the  peninsula  accompanied 
by  terrible  exhibitions  of  lightning  and  explosions  of 
thunder.  The  water  came  down  in  torrents  and  there 
were  great  floods,  completely  engulfing  the  valley 
through  which  the  Chickahominy  flows  and  turning 
the  narrow  stream  into  a  broad  river  as  well  as  con- 
verting the  swamps  into  lakes. 

On  the  30th  of  May,  the  enemy,  taking  advantage  of 
this  terrible  state  of  affairs,  came  rushing  down  upon 
the  Union  troops  in  immense  force.  A  battle  opened 
at  about  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  and  after  three 
hours  of  desperate  fighting  General  Casey's  division, 
occupying  the  first  line,  was  compelled  to  fall  back  in 
considerable  disorder  upon  the  second  line,  causing 
temporary  confusion;  but  the  rapid  advance  of  Gen- 
eral Heinselman  and  General  Kearney  with  their 
divisions  soon  checked  the  Confederates. 

The  enemy,  led  by  Hill  and  Longstreet,  advanced  in 
great  columns  with  three  full  lines,  and  came  boldly 
on  like  an  overwhelming  wave,  as  if  determined  to 
crush  all  opposition  by  the  suddenness  and  fierceness 
of  the  attack.  It  looked  as  if  the  Union  troops  would 
be  annihilated;  indeed,  it  seemed  as  if  the  fragments 
of  the  army  would  be  driven  into  the  Chickahominy 
before   it   would   be   possible    for   reenforcements   to 


EMMA  EDMONDS  239 

arrive.  It  was  at  this  most  dramatic  stage  of  the 
battle  that  Miss  Edmonds  became  a  voluntary  orderly 
to  one  of  the  generals.  She  has  told  the  story  in  her 
own  words,  which  cannot  be  improved  upon.  It  fur- 
nishes a  fine  climax  to  her  sensational  career  in  the 
army. 

"  At  this  time,"  she  says,  "  I  was  in  military  uni- 
form mounted  on  my  horse  and  acting  as  orderly  for 
General  Kearney.  Several  times  orderlies  had  been 
sent  with  messages  and  dispatches  but  no  reenforce- 
ments  had  yet  arrived,  and  taking  a  Federal  view  of 
the  picture  it  presented  a  gloomy  appearance.  The 
General  reined  in  his  horse  abruptly  and  taking  from 
his  pocket  an  envelope  he  hastily  wrote  on  the  back 
of  it  with  pencil,  '  In  the  name  of  God,  bring  your  com- 
mand to  our  relief  if  you  have  to  swim  in  order  to  get 
here  —  or  we  are  lost.'     Handing  it  to  me  he  said : 

"  *  Go  just  as  fast  as  that  horse  can  carry  you  to 
General  G,  present  this  with  my  compliments  and 
return  and  report  to  me.' 

"  I  put  poor  little  '  Reb '  over  the  road  at  the  very 
top  of  his  speed  until  he  was  nearly  white  with  foam, 
then  plunged  him  into  the  Chickahominy  and  swam 
across  the  river.  I  met  one  general  about  one  hundred 
rods  from  the  river,  making  the  best  of  his  way  to- 
wards the  bridge.  Engineers  were  at  once  set  to  work 
strengthening  the  crazy  structure,  which  was  swaying 
to  and  fro  with  the  rush  of  the  tide.  The  eager, 
excited  troops  dashed  into  the  water  waist  deep,  and 
getting  upon  the  floating  planks  went  pouring  over  in 
massive  columns.     I  preferred  to  swim  my  horse  back 


240    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

again  rather  than  risk  myself  upon  such  a  bridge,  for 
I  looked  every  moment  to  see  it  give  way  and  engulf 
the  whole  division  in  the  turbid  waters  of  the  swollen 
creek.  However,  all  reached  the  other  side  in  safety 
and  started  along  the  flooded  road  on  the  double  quick. 
This  was  cheering  news  to  carry  back  to  the  General, 
so  I  started  again  through  the  field  in  order  to  claim 
the  reward  of  '  Him  who  bringeth  good  tidings.' 

"  I  found  the  General  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight, 
encouraging  his  men  and  shouting  his  orders  dis- 
tinctly above  the  roar  and  din  of  battle.  Riding  up 
to  him  and  touching  my  hat  I  reported : 

" '  Just  returned,  sir.  General  G  with  his  com- 
mand will  be  here  immediately.' 

"  It  was  too  good  to  keep  to  himself,  so  he  turned  to 
his  men  and  shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice : 

"  *  Reenforcements  !     Reenforcements !  ' 

"  Then,  swinging  his  hat  in  the  air,  he  perfectly  elec- 
trified the  whole  line  as  far  as  his  voice  could  reach  and 
the  glorious  word  *  Reenforcements,'  was  passed  along 
until  that  almost  exhausted  line  was  re-animated  and 
inspired  with  new  hopes,  which  led  it  to  ultimate 
victory." 


XVI 

THE  AMAZING  ADVENTURE  OF 

BRIGADIER-GENERAL 

LAFAYETTE  C.  BAKER 


BRIGADIER-GKNKRAL   LAFAYETTE   C.   BAKER 


xvr 

THE  AMAZING  ADVENTURE  OF 

BRIGADIER-GENERAL 

LAFAYETTE  C  BAKER 

IN  the  early  part  of  April,  1861,  a  tall,  well-built 
man,  with  the  love  of  adventure  in  his  heart, 
called  upon  the  General  commanding  the  Union 
forces  and  offered  to  penetrate  the  Confederate  lines 
for  the  purpose  of  discovering  the  military  secrets  of 
the  Southern  army. 

The  volunteer  was  Lafayette  C.  Baker,  who  was  to 
play  a  most  conspicuous  part  in  the  Civil  War,  and  the 
soldier  to  whom  he  made  his  proposal  was  General 
Winfield  Scott,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  military 
men  in  the  United  States.  The  interview  was  epoch- 
making  in  its  character,  and  out  of  it  came  one  of  the 
most  amazing  adventures  in  the  history  of  the  war. 

Washington  was  filled  with  all  sorts  of  men  on  all 
sorts  of  missions  at  that  time,  and  Scott  was  not  dis- 
posed to  see  the  young  man  from  the  West.  The 
General,  with  others  in  power,  had  his  fill  of  theorists 
who  offered  endless  suggestions  for  the  conduct  of  the 
war.  most  of  which,  w^hen  tried,  proved  to  be  imprac- 
ticable. But  Baker  was  the  sort  of  an  enthusiast  who 
was  not  to  be  daunted.     He  had   journeyed  to   the 

243 


244    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

National  Capital  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  the  Gen- 
eral and  he  did  not  propose  to  quit  until  he  had  accom- 
plished his  object.  It  happened  that  he  was  acquainted 
with  Congressman  William  D.  Kelley,  a  notable  mem- 
ber of  the  House  from  Philadelphia,  and  Mr.  Kelley, 
in  the  kindness  of  his  heart,  managed  to  arrange  an 
interview  with  General  Scott. 

The  enthusiasm  of  the  man  who  was  willing  to  risk 
his  life  in  the  cause  attracted  the  attention  of  the  vet- 
eran of  the  Army.  Scott  had  the  enviable  distinc- 
tion of  having  participated  in  three  wars.  He  ren- 
dered distinguished  service  in  the  war  of  1812,  and 
he  was  one  of  the  heroes  of  the  Mexican  War,  Now, 
as  the  ranking  head  of  the  Army,  he  was  charged  with 
the  direction  of  the  Federal  forces  in  the  Civil  War, 
although  age  and  increasing  infirmities  eventually 
caused  him  to  be  shelved  in  favor  of  younger  men. 
But  in  the  meantime  he  was  deeply  interested  in  know- 
ing the  plans  of  the  Confederates,  and  he  was  im- 
pressed with  the  earnestness  of  Baker. 

"  You  look  as  if  you  had  the  grit  and  the  intelli- 
gence for  the  job,"  he  said,  "  and  I'm  going  to  give 
you  a  chance  to  see  what  you  can  do.  If  you  succeed 
you  will  be  recognized  by  the  Government  in  a  suit- 
able manner." 

Baker  drew  himself  up  to  his  full  height  and  there 
was  a  flash  of  fire  in  his  gray  eyes  as  he  exclaimed : 

"  All  I  ask  is  this  chance  —  I'll  guarantee  to  make 
good !  " 

The  General  smiled  and  placed  his  hand  upon  the 
Moulder  of  the  volunteer. 


LAFAYETTE  C.  BAKER  245 

"  That's  the  sort  of  spirit  that  wins.  Good-by  and 
good  luck  to  you!  " 

But  before  Baker  left,  Scott  had  pressed  ten  twenty- 
dollar  gold  pieces  into  his  hands. 

"  You  may  need  it  for  expenses,"  he  said  with  a 
humorous  twinkle  in  his  eyes. 

Lafayette  Baker  now  possessed  the  status  of  an 
"  unofficial  spy."  He  was  not  commissioned  and  he 
was  unarmed,  but  he  was  satisfied  that  if  he  were  able 
to  carry  out  his  promise  he  would  not  fail  to  receive 
governmental  recognition.  His  first  move  was  to  con- 
trive some  plan  that  would  make  his  appearance  in 
the  camp  seem  reasonable.  He  discarded  the  notion 
of  a  disguise  as  unnecessary  and  dangerous.  He 
finally  hit  upon  the  expedient  of  pretending  to  be  an 
itinerant  photographer.  At  that  stage  of  the  Civil 
War  picture  taking  was  all  the  rage  and  the  officers 
delighted  in  having  themselves  photographed  in  front 
of  their  tents,  surrounded  by  their  aides. 

Baker  went  to  one  of  the  second  hand  shops  in 
Washington  and  succeeded  in  purchasing  a  camera 
and  a  tripod.  The  fact  that  the  camera  was  worn  out 
and  unworkable  did  not  disturb  him  in  the  least.  The 
dealer  chuckled  at  the  thought  of  finding  a  customer 
who  was  willing  to  pay  real  money  for  such  junk,  little 
thinking  that  the  paraphernalia  w^as  precisely  suited  to 
the  needs  of  the  purchaser. 

All  of  his  preparations  were  completed  on  the  nth 
of  July,  1861,  and  on  the  morning  of  that  day  he  began 
his  journey,  exclaiming  as  he  did  so, 

"  On  to  Richmond !  " 


246    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

Baker  had  been  given  detailed  instructions  by  Gen- 
eral Scott  and  was  told  to  keep  his  eyes  and  ears  open 
during  the  progress  of  his  trip  to  the  Confederate 
capital,  lie  had  been  told  to  learn  the  locality, 
strength  and  character  of  the  Southern  troops  and  to 
let  no  opportunity  pass  for  gaining  information  of 
the  enemy's  fortifications.  General  Scott  was  espe- 
cially anxious  to  get  some  definite  news  concerning  the 
famous  Black  Horse  Cavalry,  which  had  become  the 
bane  of  the  Union  Commanders. 

Baker  began  his  journey  in  high  spirits.  The 
nature  of  his  services,  of  course,  was  not  known  to 
the  Federal  troops  and  as  a  consequence  he  was  re- 
garded by  them  with  quite  as  much  interest  and  curios- 
ity as  if  he  had  been  within  the  lines  of  the  enemy. 

The  Federal  Army  lay  before  Washington,  guard- 
ing the  frontier,  which  stretched  from  a  point  three 
miles  below  Alexandria  toward  the  Potomac.  Gen- 
eral Heintzelman  was  the  Provost  Marshal  and  was 
stationed  at  this  point.  Passes  were  not  recognized 
either  by  the  Union  or  Confederate  armies,  and  Baker 
knew  that  he  ran  the  risk  of  being  arrested  as  a  spy 
either  by  the  Federal  or  the  Confederate  sentinels. 
However,  he  knew  the  attempt  to  get  through  both 
these  lines  was  a  part  of  his  self-imposed  task.  When 
he  was  four  miles  out  of  the  city  he  reached  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Second  Maine  Regiment.  His  photo- 
graphic outfit  was  slung  across  his  back  and  the  Col- 
onel of  the  regiment  invited  him  to  take  a  view  of  the 
camp,  including  his  own  tent  with  the  principal  offi- 
cers standing  in  the  foreground.     As  Baker's  appar- 


LAFAYETTE  C.  BAKER  247 

atus  was  next  to  worthless,  he  knew  that  it  would  be 
folly  for  him  to  pretend  to  take  the  picture,  but  he  was 
equal  to  the  occasion.  After  dining  with  the  Colo- 
nel, he  suggested  that  he  would  like  to  go  to  a  neigh- 
boring hill  and  take  views  of  the  encampment  and 
then  return  to  photograph  the  headquarters.  He  was 
soon  in  the  woods,  and  eluding  the  guards  pushed  for- 
ward through  the  tangled  undergrowth  in  the  direction 
of  Richmond,  After  a  while  he  felt  that  he  had 
crossed  the  Federal  lines,  but  at  that  critical  moment 
he  was  startled  by  a  loud  command : 

''  W^ho  goes  there !  " 

Baker  looked  up  and  saw  a  sentinel  standing  with 
lifted  gun  upon  a  knoll  just  beyond  the  roadside. 
There  was  no  opportunity  for  explanation.  The 
guard  marched  the  volunteer  in  the  direction  of  the 
Colonel's  headquarters.  That  officer  was  sure  he  had 
caught  a  spy  and  escorted  by  ten  men,  Baker  was  sent 
back  along  the  railroad,  the  very  way  he  had  started, 
to  General  Heintzelman's  headquarters.  He  was  pre- 
sented to  the  General  in  language  that  was  more  ex- 
pressive than  flattering: 

"  Here's  a  dirty  spy.  General  —  we  found  him  lurk- 
ing about  our  camp  and  trying  to  get  through  the 
lines." 

"You  contemptible  villain!''  exclaimed  Heintzel- 
man  with  an  oath,  "  I've  got  a  notion  to  stand  you 
against  the  wall  and  shoot  you  through  the  heart." 

Baker,  with  all  his  courage,  quailed  before  this 
fiery  denunciation.  He  was  in  a  predicament.  His 
employment  by  General  Scott  was  confidential  and  it 


248    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

might  spoil  his  plan  of  campaign  if  he  should  disclose 
his  identity,  but  while  he  was  wondering  what  he 
should  do  under  the  circumstances,  General  Heintzel- 
man  burst  forth  with  another  tirade: 

"I'll  fix  you,  you  rascal!"  he  exclaimed.  "I'll 
send  you  to  General  Scott  and  I'll  wager  that  he'll 
teach  you  a  lesson  that  will  last  you  for  the  balance  of 
your  life." 

The  captive  smiled  at  this  announcement.  It  fitted 
in  with  his  own  desires  so  well  that  he  could  scarcely 
conceal  his  own  satisfaction.  A  guard  was  placed 
around  him  and  he  was  hurried  to  Washington  and 
into  the  presence  of  General  Scott.  The  veteran  lifted 
his  eyebrows  with  surprise  and  amusement  and  dis- 
missed the  escort. 

"  Leave  this  man  with  me,"  he  said,  trying  to  con- 
ceal his  smile;  "  I'll  know  how  to  deal  with  him." 

When  they  were  alone  the  General  patted  his  mes- 
senger on  the  shoulder  and  said  cheerfully: 

*'  This  is  a  complication  that  I  had  not  anticipated. 
What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it?  " 

"  I'm  going  to  try  again,"  was  the  prompt  reply  of 
Baker,  and  ten  minutes  later  he  was  started  on  his 
mission  for  the  second  time. 

Soldiers  were  arriving  in  Washington  at  all  hours 
of  the  day  and  night  and  in  an  almost  unbroken  line 
were  marching  over  a  long  bridge  into  Virginia.  That 
night  Baker  took  his  position  at  the  end  of  the  bridge 
and  when  a  regiment  came  down  in  considerable  dis- 
order he  quietly  slipped  into  the  ranks,  hoping  to  be 
borne  along  with  the  troops.     Unfortunately  a  lieu- 


LAFAYETTE  C.  BAKER  249 

tenant  saw  the  movement  and  taking  the  interloper  by 
the  collar  put  him  under  guard  and  sent  him  back  to 
the  rear.  He  was  released  with  a  warning  not  to  re- 
peat the  trick. 

Another  night  was  spent  in  Washington,  but  it  was 
not  wholly  devoted  to  sleep.  The  active  mind  of  the 
volunteer  was  busy  with  new  plans  and  when  daylight 
came  he  said  to  himself  with  the  air  of  a  child  who  is 
reciting  a  lesson : 

"  On  to  Richmond  !  " 

Before  breakfast  that  morning  he  had  renewed  his 
journey  on  foot,  going  through  the  lower  counties  of 
Maryland,  toward  Fort  Tobacco.  He  traveled  thirty- 
five  miles  that  day  and  when  night  came  he  was  so 
exhausted  that  he  slept  like  a  log.  In  the  morning 
he  gave  a  negro  one  of  his  precious  twenty-dollar  gold 
pieces  to  row  him  across  the  river  and  before  noon 
that  day  he  found  himself  well  within  the  Confeder- 
ate lines.  The  country  was  wooded  and  an  unfre- 
quented road,  whose  general  direction  was  toward 
Richmond,  suggested  his  line  of  advance  into  the  old 
dominion.  It  was  a  hot  day  and  he  was  forced  to 
pause  frequently  to  slake  his  thirst  at  brooks  by  the 
roadside.  He  had  no  settled  plan  of  future  move- 
ments, but  trusted  to  circumstances  to  steer  his  course. 
He  was  about  four  miles  from  the  banks  of  the  Poto- 
mac when  two  Confederate  soldiers  made  their  appear- 
ance and  demanded  him  to  give  an  account  of  himself. 
He  did  so,  but  his  story  was  evidently  discounted,  for 
the  soldiers  promptly  placed  him  under  arrest  as  a 
spy.     They  were   friendly  guards,  however,  and  ac- 


250    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

cepted  an  invitation  from  their  prisoner  to  indulge  in 
a  glass  of  ale  at  a  beer  shop  in  one  of  the  townships 
through  which  they  passed.  One  glass,  as  frequently 
happens,  led  to  another,  until  finally  the  two  soldiers 
fell  asleep  on  the  step  of  the  beer  house  and  their  pris- 
oner went  on  his  way  unmolested. 

He  proceeded  along  the  road  toward  Manassas 
Junction,  congratulating  himself  on  his  easy  escape 
when  four  cavalrymen  suddenly  came  out  of  the  brush 
and  ordered  him  to  halt.  They  drew  their  sabers  and 
commanded  him  to  surrender.     He  pretended  surprise. 

"  I'm  a  law  abiding  citizen,"  he  exclaimed,  "  un- 
armed and  on  my  way  to  Richmond,  where  I  have 
business." 

One  of  the  men  dismounted  and  proceeded  to  search 
him  and  succeeded  in  finding  a  number  of  letters.  It 
was  just  the  thing  that  Baker  wanted,  for  two  of  these 
missives  were  notes  of  introduction  to  prominent  men 
in  Richmond.  In  spite  of  this,  the  four  soldiers  di- 
rected Baker  to  proceed  to  Brentsville,  about  ten  miles 
distant.  They  rode  all  the  way  and  kept  him  on  foot 
between  them.  Brentsville  was  reached  about  ten 
o'clock  that  night  and  the  prisoner  was  immediately 
taken  to  the  headquarters  of  General  Bonham  of  South 
Carolina,  who  was  in  command  at  that  vicinity.  The 
General,  who  was  in  full  dress  uniform,  took  a  seat 
opposite  Baker  and  began  to  question  him. 

"  Where  do  you  come  from  and  where  are  you 
going?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  come  from  Washington  and  I  am  on  my  way  to 
Richmond." 


LAFAYETTE  C.  BAKER  251 

*'  What  do  you  mean  by  coming  inside  of  my 
lines!  "  he  exclaimed. 

Baker's  face  in  the  language  of  the  movies  "  regis- 
tered "  intense  surprise. 

"  I'm  a  loyal  and  peaceful  citizen  of  the  United 
States,  engaged  in  an  honorable  and  legitimate  pur- 
suit. I  have  business  in  RichuKjnd  and  desire  to  get 
there  at  the  earliest  possible  moment." 

The  Confederate  General  laughed  mirthlessly. 

"  Well,  I'll  see  that  you  get  there  and  in  quick  order. 
I  believe  you're  a  Union  spy  and  I'm  going  to  send  you 
to  General  Beauregard." 

General  Bonham  handed  a  sealed  letter  to  a  lieu- 
tenant who  was  standing  near  by  and  said : 

"  Put  this  man  in  irons  and  take  him  to  General 
Beauregard's  headquarters." 

So  at  midnight,  expostulating  all  the  way,  he  w^as 
compelled  to  go  on  foot  in  the  direction  of  Manassas 
Junction.  When  he  protested  against  being  compelled 
to  \vn\k  such  a  distance  he  was  told  that  he  had  chosen 
that  mode  of  conveyance  and  ought  not  to  find  fault 
with  it.  The  party  arrived  at  Manassas  Junction  at 
daylight  and  went  at  once  to  General  Beauregard's 
headquarters,  which  were  located  at  the  Wiere  House. 
The  prisoner  was  completely  exhausted  from  his  walk 
and  he  lay  down  in  front  of  the  house  and  went  to 
sleep.  He  awoke  at  nine  o'clock  and  found  him- 
self in  charge  of  a  guard,  who  told  him  that  General 
Beauregard  had  expressed  a  desire  to  see  him. 

General   Beauregard   sat   in    front  of   a   desk,   sur- 
rounded by  members  of  his  staff.     An  open  letter  lay 


252    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

before  him.     He  pointed  to  it,  frowningly,  and  said: 
"  I  see  that  you  have  been  taken  inside  of  our  Hnes. 
What  explanation  have  you  to  make?  " 

Lafayette  Baker  had  been  cross-examined  so  often 
during  his  brief  career  as  a  mihtary  spy  that  he  was 
becoming  used  to  the  ordeal.  He  had  his  story  by 
heart  and  he  proceeded  to  tell  it  glibly. 

"  I  am  from  Washington  and  I  am  on  my  way 
to  Richmond  where  I  have  private  business  requiring 
my  attention.  I  have  not  intended  to  violate  any 
law,  regulation  or  military  rule  of  the  Confederate 
Army." 

The  General  turned  to  a  member  of  his  staff  and 
began  whispering.  The  prisoner  watched  him  anx- 
iously. The  letters  that  had  been  taken  from  him 
named  him  as  Samuel  Munson  and  he  realized  that  it 
would  not  do  to  forget  the  appellation.  He  had  as- 
sumed that  name  because  he  had  learned  that  several 
families  by  the  name  of  Munson  belonged  in  Knox- 
ville,  Tennessee,  and  he  had  known  a  son  of  Judge 
Munson  during  the  time  he  lived  in  California. 
While  this  thought  was  running  through  his  mind  the 
General  finished  his  conversation  with  his  staff  officer 
and  once  more  turned  to  the  spy. 

"  So  you  are  going  to  Richmond,  are  you?  " 

The  prisoner  smiled. 

"  That  was  my  intention,"  he  replied,  "  but  of  course 
you  are  to  be  the  judge  in  that  matter.  If  it  is  your 
desire,  I  am  willing  to  return  to  Washington." 

General  Beauregard  shook  his  head. 

"  No,"  he  said,  with  a  slight  trace  of  sarcasm  in  his 


LAFAYETTE  C.  BAKER  253 

voice.     "  I  prefer  that  you  should  go  to  Richmond. 
Where  do  you  reside  ?  " 

"  I  have  lived  in  Cahfornia  for  the  last  ten  years, 
but  formerly  lived  in  the  South  in  Knoxville,  Ten- 
nessee." 

**  How  long  has  it  been  since  you  were  in  Knox- 
ville?" 

"  Ten  or  twelve  years." 

"  What  is  your  name?  " 

"  Samuel  Munson,"  replied  Baker  with  cheerful 
mendacity. 

General  Beauregard  looked  at  the  prisoner  intently 
and  then  suddenly  exclaimed  : 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  know  that  is  the  name  on  the  letters 
that  were  found  in  your  possession,  but  I'd  like  to 
know  what  your  name  was  before  you  became  a  spy." 

If  he  expected  to  catch  his  man  unaware,  he  was 
disappointed  for  Baker,  looking  at  him  with  assumed 
dignity,  said : 

"  I  am  no  spy." 

The  General  arose  from  his  chair  and  paced  up  and 
down  the  room  several  times.  Presently  he  halted 
and  pointing  out  of  the  window  said  : 

"  Do  you  see  that  tree?  " 

•'  I  do." 

"Well,  I  half  believe  that  you  are  a  spy  and  if  I 
was  sure  of  it  I  would  hang  you  on  that  tree  as  a  warn- 
ing to  all  other  spies." 

Baker  looked  at  him  reproachfully  and  not  without 
a  secret  feeling  of  fear.  The  General  called  to  one 
of  his  attendants. 


254    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

"  Orderly,"  he  commanded,  "  take  this  man  out  and 
put  him  in  the  guard  house." 

Five  minutes  later  the  adventurer  found  himself 
inside  of  a  log  house  within  a  stockade.  The  discreet 
use  of  one  of  his  gold  pieces  secured  him  a  warm 
breakfast  and  later  in  the  day  he  was  permitted  to  go 
outside  in  the  care  of  a  guard.  The  two  men  were 
soon  on  good  terms  and  the  guard  did  not  disdain  the 
ofTer  of  a  drink  with  his  prisoner.  Before  they 
returned,  Baker  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  all  the 
troops  in  the  vicinity  of  Manassas  Junction  —  includ- 
ing the  famous  Black  Horse  Cavalry  concerning  which 
General  Scott  was  anxious  to  obtain  information. 

The  volunteer  spy  now  had  important  information 
which  would  be  of  great  value  to  General  Scott,  but 
he  had  no  means  of  conveying  it  to  the  Union  Com- 
mander. Indeed,  he  was  kept  under  lock  and  key  with 
no  means  to  communicate  with  the  outside  world. 
Perhaps  his  guards  repented  having  given  him  so 
much  liberty.  If  so  they  did  not  propose  to  repeat 
the  mistake.  During  the  long  watches  of  the  night  he 
had  time  to  think  over  his  position,  and  to  consider 
his  plans  for  the  future.  As  a  result  of  this  he  aban- 
doned all  thought  of  trying  to  escape  —  at  least  at 
that  stage  of  the  adventure.  His  one  desire  was  to 
reach  Richmond,  and  thus  carry  out  his  original 
design.  But  if  he  were  kept  confined  there  would  not 
be  much  prospect  of  reaching  the  Confederate  capi- 
tal. Curiously  enough,  the  thought  of  being  shot  as 
a  spy  did  not  enter  his  thoughts  at  that  time.  He  was 
so  much  engrossed  in  his  mission  that  he  did  not  think 


LAFAYETTE  C.  BAKER  255 

of  the  risk  he  was  running.     All  during  that  night  his 
one  thought  was : 

How  shall  I  get  to  Richmond? 

Just  before  daylight  the  answer  came  in  the  most 
abrupt  and  unexpected  manner.  One  of  his  guards 
aroused  him,  shouting: 

"  Hey  there,  wake  up  and  get  ready  for  a  journey! 
You've  got  to  go  to  Riclimond  and  give  an  account  of 
yourself  to  Jeff  Davis !  " 

Baker  could  have  cried  with  joy.  The  one  thing 
he  most  desired  had  come  about  without  any  effort  on 
his  part.  He  cheerfully  arose  and  won  the  good  will 
of  the  guard  by  his  seeming  docility.  He  was  taken 
to  the  station  and  placed  on  a  freight  car,  along  with 
some  others  who  were  also  going  to  Richmond.  Evi- 
dently he  was  regarded  as  an  important  prisoner,  for 
he  was  carefully  guarded  during  every  stage  of  the 
journey.  That  trip  during  the  night,  over  a  badly 
constructed  road  was  a  nightmare,  long  to  live  in  the 
memory  of  Lafayette  Baker.  But  the  prospect  of 
actually  setting  foot  in  the  Confederate  capital  kept 
him  in  the  best  of  spirits  and  enabled  him  to  exchange 
jests  with  his  captors. 

On  the  arrival  in  Richmond  he  expected  to  be  taken 
to  Libby  Prison,  concerning  the  horrors  of  which  he 
had  heard  a  great  deal  from  Union  soldiers  who  had 
been  captured  in  some  of  the  early  skirmishes  of  the 
war.  But  instead  of  that  he  was  conveyed  to  a  room 
on  the  third  story  of  an  engine  house  in  the  city.  His 
apartment  was  large  and  airy,  and  was  all  that  could  be 
desired.     He   was   treated   with   great   consideration, 


256    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

but  was  guarded  with  scrupulous  care.  Evidently  the 
officers  felt  that  they  had  no  ordinary  prisoner  in  their 
charge.  The  cause  of  this  extreme  courtesy  became 
evident  on  the  morning  of  the  second  day  after  Baker's 
arrival  in  Richmond  when  he  was  informed  that  Pres- 
ident Davis  desired  to  interview  him.  The  head  of 
the  Confederacy  had  his  headquarters  in  the  Spotts- 
wood  House  whence  the  Northern  spy  was  escorted. 
Baker  expected  to  find  much  formality  there,  but  to 
his  surprise  found  Mr.  Davis  in  his  shirt  sleeves  and 
without  collar  and  tie.  He  was  evidently  very  busy 
because  his  desk  was  filled  with  papers  and  there  were 
a  number  of  persons  waiting  to  have  a  talk  with  him. 
He  motioned  Baker  to  a  seat  without  looking  at  him, 
and  continued  with  some  writing  with  which  he  was 
engaged  when  the  prisoner  was  brought  into  his  room. 
Presently  he  turned  to  the  suspect  and  said  abruptly: 

"  They  say  your  name  is  Samuel  Munson?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  cheerful  fabricator,  "  that 
is  my  name." 

"  I  understand,"  said  the  civil  chief  of  the  seceding 
States,  toying  with  his  pen,  **  that  you  have  been  in 
Washington  recently.  What  can  you  tell  me  about 
conditions  there?  " 

"  Not  much,"  was  the  answer,  "  except  that  there 
is  a  great  deal  of  excitement  and  confusion  there." 

"  How  many  troops  do  you  think  there  are  in  Wash- 
ington and  vicinity  at  the  present  time?  " 

"  That  is  a  pretty  difficult  question  to  answer,  but 
there  are  probably  from  75,000  to  100,000,  with  more 
arriving  all  the  while." 


LAFAYETTE  C.  BAKER  257 

Mr.  Davis  seemed  to  ponder  over  this  fur  some 
time,  and  then  looking  his  caller  in  the  eye,  he  said, 

"  I  presume  that  you  know  you  are  suspected  of 
being  a  spy  ?  " 

The  look  of  injured  innocence  which  appeared  upon 
the  face  of  Lafayette  Baker  would  have  done  credit 
to  a  professional  actor.  Nevertheless  he  evaded  a 
direct  answer  by  saying : 

"  No  man  is  safe  from  accusation  in  times  like  the 

present." 

"  But  what  have  you  to  say  for  yourself?  " 

"  Nothing  except  that  I  defy  my  accusers  to  prove 
their  charges." 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  said  Mr.  Davis,  "  that  some  one 
said  you  were  a  Southern  man." 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  came  originally  from  Knoxvillc.  The 
members  of  my  family  lived  there  for  years,  but  in 
recent  times  I  have  lived  in  California." 

"  Have  you  any  way  of  proving  that?  " 

The  alleged  Mr.  Munson  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  I  am  afraid  I  cannot  find  any  one  here  to  identify 

me." 

The  President  of  the  Confederacy  smiled  a  some- 
what sarcastic  smile. 

"  Perhaps  we  may  be  able  to  help  you  out  in  that 
respect.  There  is  a  Knoxville  man  in  the  city  and  as 
soon  as  I  am  able  to  locate  him  I  will  have  you  meet 
him." 

This  was  startling  news  indeed  and  it  came  near 
shaking  the  self-assurance  of  the  volunteer  spy.  But 
before  he  had  time  to  make  any  reply  he  found  him- 


258    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

self  being  escorted  out  of  the  room  and  taken  to  his 
place  of  confinement  in  the  engine  house.  He  was 
treated  as  kindly  as  before,  but  he  realized  that  the 
watch  upon  him  was  closer  than  ever.  He  did  some 
serious  thinking  that  night.  As  he  looked  out  of  the 
barred  windows  and  up  into  the  unpitying  stars  he  felt 
that  he  had  reached  a  real  crisis  in  his  life. 

One  of  two  things  would  happen.  Either  he  would 
escape  from  his  place  of  confinement,  and  attempt  to 
reach  the  North,  or  he  would  be  shot  as  a  spy.  All  of 
the  chances  seemed  to  point  to  his  execution  on  the 
charge  of  spying. 

But  his  naturally  buoyant  disposition  came  to  his 
aid,  and  when  morning  arrived  he  was  taking  a  more 
cheerful  view  of  the  future.  That  day  he  was  taken 
before  President  Davis  and  submitted  to  a  further 
cross-examination.  The  Chief  of  the  Confederacy 
appeared  to  be  more  anxious  to  get  reliable  informa- 
tion concerning  the  Union  forces  than  to  prove  that 
Baker  was  a  spy. 

"  Who  is  in  command  of  the  Yankees  at  this  time?  " 
he  asked. 

"  General  Scott,"  was  the  truthful  reply. 

"Where  is  he?" 

"  In  Washington." 

*'Ah,  then  he  is  not  in  charge  of  the  troops?" 

"  No,  sir,  I  believe  that  General  McDowell  is  in 
active  command  of  the  forces  in  the  field." 

This  was  correct,  and  Baker  in  making  the  state- 
ment felt  that  he  was  not  giving  away  any  of  the  se- 
crets of  the  war.     But  the  information  interested  the 


LAFAYETTE  C.  BAKER  259 

President  and  he  turned  aside  and  talked  with  several 
of  his  advisers  who  were  in  the  room.  In  the  mean- 
while he  made  a  gesture  to  indicate  that  he  was  through 
with  Mr.  Baker,  alias  Mr.  Munson,  and  the  spy  was 
led  from  the  room  and  once  again  taken  to  his  prison 
in  the  engine  house.  In  spite  of  his  optimistic  nature 
these  repeated  cross-examinations  were  beginning  to 
unnerve  him.  He  was  afraid  that  he  might  be  tripped 
up  in  some  of  his  answers,  and  then  he  felt  sure  that 
he  would  be  stood  up  against  a  wall  and  shot.  He  felt 
that  such  a  procedure  would  make  him  a  martyr,  but 
he  had  a  very  natural  desire  to  postpone  his  martyr- 
dom as  long  as  possible. 

His  real  ordeal  was  to  come  on  the  following  day. 
Shortly  after  breakfast  he  learned  that  Mr.  Davis 
desired  to  see  him  again.  And  he  learned  something 
else  that  caused  him  much  perturbation.  It  was  that  a 
Knoxville  man  had  been  located  in  Richmond  and  that 
he  had  been  sent  for  to  identify  the  supposed  Air. 
Munson.  Baker  tried  hard  to  screw  up  his  courage 
for  the  inteniew.  He  was  at  a  loss  as  to  how  he 
should  act  and  talk.  It  was  certain  that  the  man  did 
not  know  him  and  in  such  an  event  he  would  be  in  the 
position  of  being  condemned  as  an  impostor  and  a 
spy.  While  he  was  preparing  to  go  over  to  the  Spotts- 
wood  House  he  heard  one  of  his  captors  speak  of  a 
Mr.  Brock  of  Knoxville,  who  had  also  been  summoned 
to  meet  the  President.  Baker  grasped  at  this  as  a 
drowning  man  grabs  at  a  straw.  All  the  way  to  the 
hotel  he  racked  his  brain  in  the  efifort  to  work  out  a 
plan  of  action.     But  he  could  reach  no  definite  con- 


260    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

elusion.  He  would  have  to  be  guided  entirely  by  cir- 
cumstances. One  thing  he  did  do  was  to  refresh  his 
mind  as  to  certain  names  and  places  in  Knoxville. 
When  he  reached  the  headquarters  of  the  Confederate 
Government  he  found  Mr.  Davis  talking  with  a  man  in 
a  frock  coat  and  a  slouch  hat.  At  first  he  supposed 
that  this  must  be  Brock,  but  fortunately  he  learned 
that  it  was  Robert  Toombs,  and  was  thereby  saved 
from  making  a  break  that  might  have  caused  his  un- 
doing.    In  a  moment  the  President  turned  to  the  spy. 

"  Hello,  Munson,"  he  said,  "  I  have  sent  for  a  man 
who  has  lived  in  Knoxville  for  many  years,  and  he  will 
be  able  to  tell  us  if  you  are  the  person  you  claim  to  be. 
Take  a  seat.     He'll  be  here  in  a  few  minutes." 

Baker  sat  on  a  chair  facing  the  door  and  anxiously 
waited  for  the  man  who  was  to  give  the  verdict.  The 
moments  went  by  on  leaden  heels.  He  could  feel  the 
cold  sweat  coming  out  on  his  brow.  But  he  had  cour- 
age and  he  was  resourceful.  Once  the  door  opened 
and  a  messenger  came  in.  Baker  half  rose  to  his  feet, 
but  caught  himself  in  time.  He  could  not  afford  to 
make  a  mistake.  The  President  and  Toombs  talked 
together  as  if  oblivious  to  his  presence.  Presently 
Toombs  threw  himself  on  a  couch  in  a  corner  of  the 
room  and  Mr.  Davis  busied  himself  with  some  papers 
on  his  desk.  The  spy  kept  his  eyes  glued  upon  the 
door.  Out  of  it  would  walk  his  doom  or  his  deliver- 
ance —  he  could  not  tell  which.  Suddenly  when  the 
strain  was  beginning  to  seem  too  great  for  further 
endurance,  the  door  was  opened  and  a  middle-aged 
man  entered  the  room.     He  hesitated  for  a  moment 


LAFAYETTE  C.  BAKER  261 

and  looked  about  him  inquiringly.  Baker  felt  that  he 
must  be  the  man.  lie  did  not  hesitate  for  the  fraction 
of  a  moment,  but  jumping  up  and  hurrying  toward  the 
newcomer  he  held  out  his  hand  and  exclaimed  in  a 
tone  of  great  cordiality: 

"  Why,  hello,  Brock,  how  are  you,  anyhow?  " 

The  surprised  visitor  did  not  have  time  to  think. 
He  accepted  the  proffered  hand  in  a  mechanical  man- 
ner and  said  slowdy : 

"  You  —  you  are  — " 

"  Sam  Munson,  of  course.  Don't  you  remember 
me?" 

"  Judge  Munson's  son  ?  " 

"  Certainly  —  but  it's  been  ten  years  since  we've 
met.  I'm  surely  glad  to  see  you.  How  are  you,  any- 
how?" 

"  I'm  right  well,"  said  the  stampeded  one,  "  and 
how  are  you?  " 

"  Well,  I  haven't  been  very  well,  but  the  sight  of 
you  is  a  cure  for  sore  eyes.  They've  locked  me  up  on 
suspicion,  and  you've  just  come  in  the  nick  of  time. 
They  wanted  some  one  to  let  them  know  that  I  was 
really  Sam  Munson.  How  long  has  it  been  since 
you've  been  in  the  old  town?  " 

"  Two  years,"  said  Brock,  watching  the  other  man 
intently. 

"  Well,  it's  been  ten  since  I  was  there,  and  I'll  bet 
they've  had  some  big  changes  in  that  time." 

"Rather!" 

"  By  the  way,"  continued  Baker,  trying  to  prevent 
the  other  from  having  time  to  think,  "  you  remember 


262    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

the  Bradleys,  don't  you?  Well,  I  heard  not  long  ago 
that  Sue  Bradley  had  married  —  married  some  fellow 
from  Chattanooga.  She  was  a  mighty  fine  girl  was 
Sue,  and  the  fellow  that  got  her  got  a  prize." 

Well,  to  make  a  long  story  short  the  bluff  worked 
—  not  like  a  charm,  but  with  sufficient  smoothness  to 
enable  the  nervy  spy  to  save  his  life.  Brock  and 
Baker  had  one  or  two  more  interviews,  and  by  ransack- 
ing his  brain  for  incidents  he  had  learned  about  the 
prominent  people  of  Knoxville  he  finally  persuaded 
Brock  that  he  was  really  Sam  Munson.  The  visitor 
even  went  so  far  as  to  apologize  for  his  seeming  inabil- 
ity to  place  his  fellow  townsman  at  first  sight. 

"  But  you  must  remember  that  it  has  been  many 
years  since  you  left  the  old  town,  Sam.  You've 
changed  a  lot  since  then." 

"  Don't  mention  it,"  was  the  hearty  response.  "  I'd 
have  been  the  same  if  I  had  been  in  your  place.  But 
you've  done  me  a  good  turn,  and  I  won't  forget  it." 

There  was  no  doubt  of  the  good  turn  —  if  saving 
a  man  from  being  shot  as  a  spy  can  be  placed  in  that 
category. 

As  a  result  of  the  business  Baker  was  not  released, 
but  he  was  placed  under  parole.  This  gave  him  the 
right  to  wander  about  Richmond  at  will  —  the  very 
privilege  he  most  desired.  If  he  had  planned  the  thing 
in  advance  it  could  not  have  worked  out  more  to  his 
liking.  He  was  free  to  go  and  come  as  he  pleased, 
and  he  was  actually  under  the  patronage  and  the  pro- 
tection of  the  Confederate  Government ! 

For  two  days  and  two  nights  he  roamed  about  until 


LAFAYETTE  C.  BAKER  263 

he  became  as  familiar  with  conditions  in  Richmond  as 
if  he  were  a  resident.  He  oljtained  a  mass  of  data 
concerning  military  plans  and  proposed  mcjvements, 
learned  where  troops  were  quartered  and  where  forti- 
fications were  being  erected.  Most  of  this  informa- 
tion he  carried  in  his  head,  but  in  a  few  instances  he 
made  notes  of  a  character  which  were  intelligible  to 
himself,  but  which  were  not  likely  to  be  decipherable 
to  any  one  else.  Finally  the  time  came  when  he  knew 
more  than  "  was  good  "  for  himself,  from  a  Confeder- 
ate point  of  view.  The  question  was  how  to  get  this 
knowledge  to  the  Federal  Government.  The  fact  that 
he  had  been  before  ^Ir.  Davis  and  was  now  at  liberty 
made  him  seem  harmless  to  most  of  the  officers  in 
Richmond.  He  became  personally  acquainted  with 
some  of  them.  One  was  the  Provost  Marshal,  and 
so,  one  day,  when  he  asked  that  official  for  a  pass  to 
permit  him  to  visit  Fredericksburg  it  was  granted  with- 
out any  hesitation. 

He  proceeded  to  that  place  without  any  difficulty. 
Once  or  twice  he  was  halted  by  sentinels,  but  the  pro- 
duction of  his  pass  was  all  that  was  needed  to  permit 
him  to  go  on  his  way.  On  the  night  of  the  day  he 
reached  Fredericksburg  he  parted  with  another  of  his 
precious  gold  pieces  to  a  negro  who  rowed  him  across 
the  Rappahannock.  He  drew  a  breath  of  relief  when 
he  reached  the  other  side  of  the  stream,  and  yet  he 
realized  that  his  dangers  had  only  begun.  That  night 
he  slept  in  a  haystack  —  slept  the  sleep  of  a  dog-tired 
man,  if  not  of  the  just.  When  he  awoke  at  dawn  he 
discovered  signs  of  activity  in  the  vicinity  of  the  barn 


264    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

where  he  had  slept  and  he  knew  that  he  was  being 
pursued.  He  lay  very  quiet  and  listened.  Voices 
were  shouting  and  it  did  not  take  him  long  to  learn 
that  a  squad  of  Confederate  cavalry  was  on  the  hunt 
and  that  a  number  of  horsemen  surrounded  the  bam. 

He  shuddered  at  the  thought  of  the  consequences. 
He  had  plenty  of  courage  but  he  did  not  relish  the 
thought  of  being  caught  like  a  rat  in  a  trap.  He  had 
provided  himself  with  a  revolver,  and  he  firmly  re- 
solved that  if  he  were  detected  he  would  not  give  his 
life  easily.  He  grasped  the  weapon,  and  lay  very, 
very  quiet.  He  was  almost  afraid  to  breathe.  Pres- 
ently one  of  the  cavalrymen  dismounted  and  flourish- 
ing his  sword  began  a  search  of  the  barn.  Some  of 
those  on  the  outside  were  shouting  instructions  to  the 
searcher,  and  he  responded  cheerily.  He  poked  his 
sword  here  and  there  in  the  hay  rick,  calling  mean- 
while on  any  supposed  fugitive  to  surrender  if  he  did 
not  want  to  be  killed.  At  one  time  the  point  of  the 
sword  just  grazed  Baker's  boots.  He  could  have 
screamed  with  nervousness,  but  by  a  super-human  ef- 
fort he  managed  to  keep  perfectly  quiet.  And  by  so 
doing  he  saved  his  life,  for  the  officer  turning  to  his 
companions  called: 

"  He  ain't  here,  boys  —  we  might  as  well  move  on !  " 
They  rode  of¥,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  hidden  man. 
He  remained  still  until  the  sound  of  the  horses'  hoofs 
had  died  out  in  the  distance,  and  then  he  crept  from 
his  place  of  concealment  more  dead  than  alive.  He 
waited  for  a  long  while  and  then  crept  out  of  the  barn 
and  made  for  the  woods.     How  long  he  straggled 


LAFAYETTE  C.  BAKER  265 

through  the  woods  he  could  not  tell,  but  he  was  so 
hungry,  and  faint  and  footsore  that  nothing  seemed  to 
make  any  difference.  That  night  he  managed  to  get 
supper  in  a  hut  owned  by  a  poor  colored  man,  and 
afterwards  tried  to  find  just  where  the  Potomac  was 
located.  When  he  reached  that  stream  he  discovered 
an  old  row  boat.  The  owner  of  it  was  lying,  half 
asleep,  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  Baker  invited  him 
to  sell  the  boat,  offering  the  last  of  his  gold  pieces  for 
craft,  but  the  owner  indignantly  refused  saying  that 
he  would  not  part  wnth  it  for  any  price. 

This  was  discouraging,  and  in  lieu  of  anything  bet- 
ter to  do  he  lay  down  and  went  to  sleep,  with  the  hard 
earth  for  a  couch,  and  the  shining  stars  for  his  cover- 
ing. He  awakened  just  before  daylight  with  every 
bone  in  his  body  aching,  and  an  intense  yearning  for 
home.  The  owner  of  the  boat  was  still  asleep,  and  his 
craft  lay  anchored  in  the  water.  It  did  not  take  Baker 
long  to  come  to  a  decision.  At  that  stage  of  his  ca- 
reer larceny  seemed  a  very  petty  offense.  He  crept 
down  to  the  water  side  and  climbing  into  the  boat 
began  to  row  gently  into  the  stream.  The  job  was  not 
an  easy  one  because  the  oars  were  broken  and  decayed. 
However,  by  great  care  he  managed  to  get  the  boat 
into  the  middle  of  the  stream.  At  that  moment  the 
owner  awoke,  and  when  he  discovered  what  had  hap- 
pened sent  up  a  series  of  ear-splitting  screams. 

"  Come  back  with  that  boat,  you  thief."  he  yelled, 
"or  I'll  kill  you." 

Baker  did  not  fear  anything  from  the  man,  but  in 
a  few  moments  he  saw  that  three  or  four  soldiers  had 


266     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

suddenly  appeared  upon  the  scene,  and  were  talking 
with  the  distracted  owner  of  the  boat.  They  grasped 
the  situation  at  a  glance,  and  ordered  him  to  halt  at 
the  risk  of  his  life.  Instead  of  halting  he  pulled 
harder  than  ever.  Without  another  word  one  of  the 
soldiers  raised  his  gun  and  fired.  The  shot  struck  one 
of  the  oars  and  shattered  it.  Once  again  came  the 
command  to  halt  and  once  again  the  fleeing  man  re- 
newed his  efforts  as  best  he  could  with  the  broken  oar. 
This  time  three  of  the  soldiers  aimed  at  the  man  in 
the  boat.  There  was  a  hissing  sound,  Baker  ducked 
and  the  bullets  went  skimming  across  the  water.  The 
situation  was  becoming  perilous.  The  fugitive  plied 
his  one  good  oar,  and  worked  the  stump  of  the  other 
with  great  vigor,  and  in  this  way  managed  to  lengthen 
the  distance  between  himself  and  the  shore.  A  final 
volley  came  from  the  soldiers  and  this  time  the  shots 
fell  short  of  the  mark  by  several  yards. 

Baker  breathed  freely  for  the  first  time  since  he 
had  boarded  the  boat.  He  was  out  of  danger  for  the 
time  being.  All  depended  now  upon  his  ability  to  get 
to  the  Maryland  side  of  the  stream.  It  was  a  hard 
job,  but  he  stuck  at  it  with  the  persistence  of  a  des- 
perate man,  and  eventually  felt  the  small  craft  grazing 
the  beach.  He  felt  a  strong  desire  to  cheer,  but  he 
overestimated  his  strength,  for  the  moment  he  climbed 
out  of  the  boat  he  fell  to  the  ground,  exhausted.  The 
perils  and  the  privations  he  had  undergone  were 
enough  to  kill  a  less  resolute  and  less  hardy  man.  He 
lay  on  the  shore  for  more  than  an  hour,  until  finally 
a  farmer  passing  that  way  halted  and  picked  him  up. 


LAFAYETTE  C.  BAKER  267 

He  was  taken  to  a  farmhouse,  and  given  a  meal 
which  he  ate  with  the  ravenousness  of  a  wolf.  His 
hosts  were  naturally  filled  with  curiosity,  but  he  felt 
that  discretion  was  the  part  of  wisdom  and  he  declined 
to  reveal  his  identity,  or  the  cause  of  the  plight  in 
which  he  had  been  found. 

That  night,  in  spite  of  the  protests  of  the  farmer, 
he  resumed  his  journey  to  Washington.  He  walked 
the  greater  part  of  the  night  and  slept  in  a  barn  as 
usual.  He  begged  his  breakfast  and  then  started  on 
his  last  lap  to  the  National  Capital.  It  was  some  time 
before  he  felt  that  he  was  out  of  danger,  but  finally 
the  dome  of  the  Capitol  came  into  view,  and  he  knew 
then  that  he  was  safe  and  that  his  remarkable  adven- 
ture w^as  to  be  a  success.  It  was  nearly  noon,  and 
there  was  a  broiling  sun  when  he  finally  reached  the 
streets  of  Washington.  He  did  not  wait  to  eat  or  to 
make  himself  presentable,  but  headed  immediately  for 
the  headquarters  of  General  Scott.  The  attendant  at 
the  door  repulsed  him  and  said  that  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  see  the  General  at  that  time.  Baker  knew 
that  this  reception  was  caused  by  his  disreputable  ap- 
pearance, and  once  he  was  sure  that  Scott  was  in  his 
room,  he  pushed  the  man  aside  and  bolted  into  the 
apartment  where  the  head  of  the  army  was  making 
his  headquarters.  The  General  was  seated  at  a  desk 
and  as  the  strange  looking  specimen  of  luinnnity 
stood  beside  him,  he  said  rather  gruffly : 

"  W^ell,  sir,  what  can  I  do  for  you  ?  " 

Baker  threw  out  his  arms  in  a  gesture  of  entreaty 
and  said  with  a  wan  smile : 


268     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

"Why,  General,  don't  you  know  me?  '' 
The  veteran  rose  to  his  feet  and  closely  scrutinized 
the  speaker,  and  then  he  said,  with  a  welcoming  smile 
and  outstretched  hand : 

"  Well,  by  all  that's  holy,  it's  Baker !  " 
He  would  not  let  him  tell  his  story  then,  but  in- 
sisted upon  his  taking  a  hearty  dinner  and  making 
himself  comfortable.  After  that  the  adventurous  one 
sat  down  and  gave  a  detailed  account  of  his  exploits 
from  the  time  he  left  Washington.  He  presented  a 
complete  report  of  all  he  had  learned  while  in  Rich- 
mond, and  furnished  him  with  data  concerning  the 
size  and  movements  of  the  Confederate  soldiers. 
Other  members  of  the  staff  were  called  into  consulta- 
tion, and  after  their  talk  had  been  concluded  Baker 
was  plied  with  questions  which  he  had  no  difficulty  in 
answering.  It  was  dusk  before  he  had  talked  himself 
out,  and  then  the  General  took  him  by  the  hand  and 
thanked  him  for  what  he  had  done  for  the  Govern- 
ment. 

"  You  have  more  than  made  good,"  he  said,  "  and 
I  will  see  that  you  get  the  recognition  which  you 
deserve." 

On  the  following  morning  General  Scott  walked 
over  to  the  War  Department,  and  when  he  re- 
turned he  carried  with  him  a  commission  which 
made  Lafayette  Baker  an  agent  in  the  secret  service 
of  the  War  Department.  From  that  time  until  the 
close  of  the  war  he  participated  actively  in  the  work 
of  both  the  War  and  State  Departments.  He  was 
recognized    by    President    Lincoln    and   became    inti- 


LAFxiYETTE  C.  BAKER  269 

mately  associated  with  Secretary  Stanton.  As  the 
result  of  all  this  he  was  made  Provost  General  and 
later  was  promoted  to  the  post  of  Brigadier-General 
in  the  army. 


XVII 

THE  MYSTERIOUS  "  F  "  AND  THE 
CAPTURED  TROOPERS 


XVII 

THE  MYSTERIOUS  "F"  AND  THE 
CAPTURED  TROOPERS 

A  FAN,  a  glove,  a  whiff  of  perfume,  an  unknown 
female  spy,  and  a  troop  of  captured  soldiers, 
taken  unawares,  constitute  pretty  good  ingre- 
dients for  a  romance,  and  yet  they  have  been  part  of 
the  actual  history  of  more  than  one  war. 

During  the  Civil  War  the  Union  troops  occupied 
the  territory  known  as  Fairfax  Court  House  for  a 
considerable  period.  It  was  in  Virginia,  and  might 
fairly  be  said  to  be  "  the  enemy's  country."  It  was 
one  of  those  army  outposts  where  the  men  are  called 
upon  to  do  a  great  deal  of  watchful  waiting.  The 
Union  soldiers  and  the  residents  of  the  community 
came  to  know  one  another  pretty  well,  and  in  the 
course  of  time  there  came  that  familiarity  which 
breeds  contempt  of  danger.  There  were  social  affairs 
and  the  people  came  and  went  as  they  pleased. 

General  Stoughton  was  in  charge  of  the  small  Union 
force  which  was  in  control  of  the  town,  and  there  is 
nothing  in  the  official  reports  to  indicate  that  he  was 
remiss  in  any  way.  But  some  of  the  men  began  to  feel 
that  everything  was  not  as  it  should  be.  It  was 
rumored  that  at  least  one  of  the  women  in  the  place 

273 


274     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

was  supplying  information  to  the  enemy.  Just  who  it 
was  could  not  be  determined,  but  presently  the  word 
went  around  that  the  mysterious  spy  was  known  only 
by  the  letter  "  F." 

Mosby's  raiders  were  performing  sensational  feats 
in  many  parts  of  Virginia  at  that  time,  and  it  was 
hinted  that  they  were  in  the  vicinity  of  Fairfax  Court 
House.  One  day  one  of  the  charming  Southern  girls 
of  the  town  went  out  horseback  riding  with  one  of 
the  Union  officers.  It  was  a  delightful  trip  and  the 
soldier  greatly  enjoyed  the  conversation  of  his  com- 
panion, who  was  a  cultivated  woman,  who,  while  natu- 
rally having  much  love  for  her  own  people,  insisted 
that  she  had  no  feeling  against  the  "  Yankees."  Dur- 
ing the  return  home  she  became  separated  from  him, 
and  when  he  rejoined  her,  found  that  she  was  talking 
to  a  man  by  the  roadside,  in  civilian  attire.  Not  much 
was  thought  of  the  incident  at  the  time,  but  later  it 
was  reported  that  the  stranger  was  not  only  connected 
with  the  Confederate  Army,  but  was  actually  on  the 
staff  of  the  famous  Mosby. 

The  house  occupied  by  General  Stoughton  at  Fair- 
fax Court  House  was  one  of  those  Southern  mansions 
which  are  so  familiar  in  Virginia.  It  was  of  brick, 
with  a  porch,  and  covered  with  creeping  vines  which 
gave  it  a  most  picturesque  appearance.  The  halls 
were  wide  and  the  rooms  large  and  airy.  It  is  nol 
hard  to  imagine  that  the  ample  drawing-room  must 
have  been  the  scene  of  many  festivities  in  ante-bellum 
days.  In  a  word,  it  was  just  the  sort  of  setting  that 
was  necessary  for  the  remarkable  adventure  in  which 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  "F"  275 

a  girl,  a  famous  scout  and  a  captured  general  were  to 
be  the  central  figures. 

One  day  a  young  Union  officer  entered  the  drawing- 
room  of  this  house,  and  looking  about  him  discovered 
a  fan  and  a  pair  of  gloves  upon  the  large  center  table. 
There  was  the  scent  of  a  faint  perfume  in  the  apart- 
ment and  following  it  he  came  across  a  beautiful  girl 
to  whom  the  articles  belonged.  He  returned  them 
with  a  gallantry  which  it  might  be  supposed  was  for- 
eign to  a  Northerner,  but  which  as  a  matter  of  fact 
was  quite  as  common  as  it  was  in  those  living  south 
of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line.  He  was  fascinated  with 
the  girl  and  she  betrayed  just  enough  interest  in  him 
to  make  him  want  to  dance  attendance  upon  her.  His 
duties  were  not  particularly  trying  at  that  time  and 
as  a  consequence  he  managed  to  spend  a  great  deal 
of  his  time  in  her  company. 

Her  name  —  well,  he  heard  it,  but  it  did  not  make 
much  of  an  impression  upon  his  mind.  It  is  enough 
to  say  that  from  that  time  the  war  seemed  to  be  of 
secondary  importance  compared  to  the  ardent  affection 
he  felt  for  the  young  woman.  They  walked  together 
and  they  talked  together  and  he  lived  in  a  Paradise  of 
his  own  making,  none  the  less  attractive  because  it 
happened  to  be  a  Fool's  Paradise.  Even  after  the  in- 
cident which  caused  such  a  stir  at  the  time,  he  defended 
her  from  the  charge  of  deceit,  so  far  as  he  was  con- 
cerned. But  it  is  very  evident  that  information  con- 
cerning the  conditions  about  the  outpost  began  to  filter 
into  the  Confederate  lines.  Through  some  mysteri- 
ous agency  all  of  the  details  concerning  the  topography 


276    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

of  the  camp  found  its  way  to  General  Stuart,  the 
Confederate  cavalry  leader,  and  then  one  evening  the 
thing  happened  which  caused  consternation  in  the 
North,  and  was  received  with  joy  and  laughter  in  the 
South. 

Mosby,  the  Confederate  Guerrilla,  from  time  to 
time,  obtained  information  concerning  the  outpost  at 
Fairfax  Court  House,  and  he  finally  determined  to 
raid  it  in  the  hope  of  making  some  sensational  cap- 
tures. His  little  band,  which  had  been  recruited  from 
Stuart's  Cavalry,  was  eager  for  the  venture,  and  held 
themselves  in  readiness  for  the  order  from  their  chief. 
Mosby,  who  had  the  loyalty  of  his  men  in  an  intense 
degree,  was  one  of  the  remarkable  men  of  the  Civil 
War.  He  weighed  only  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
pounds  and  was  about  five  feet,  eight  inches  in  height. 
His  face  was  clean  cut  and  smooth  shaven  and  he  had 
straight,  firm  lips  and  a  nose  that  has  been  described  as 
resembling  an  eagle's  beak.  He  was  just  the  type  of 
man  who  might  be  expected  to  engage  in  dangerous 
adventure  without  the  thought  of  the  consequences. 

The  affair  took  place  on  the  eighth  of  March,  1863. 
Mosby  had  been  with  his  Rangers  only  a  month,  but 
already  he  was  gaining  a  name  for  himself  in  all  parts 
of  the  country.  Fairfax  Court  House  at  this  time 
was  surrounded  by  large  numbers  of  Union  soldiers. 
Centreville,  only  a  few  miles  away,  contained  a  bri- 
gade of  trained  men.  Still  another  brigade  of  mixed 
troops  was  located  on  the  pike,  near  the  town.  This 
would  seem  to  be  pretty  dangerous  territory  for  a 
small  body  of  raiders,  but  Mosby  had  not  been  receiv- 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  "F"         277 

ing  information  for  days  without  understanding  the 
situation  fully.  He  knew  that  there  was  one  weak 
link  in  the  chain  of  defenses  and  he  knew  precisely 
where  to  look  for  it.  He  proceeded  in  the  direction 
of  this  w^eak  spot,  followed  by  twenty-nine  of  his 
most  daring  men.  It  was  pitch  dark  and  impossible 
to  see  more  than  a  few  feet  ahead.  Presently  they 
found  themselves  in  the  Court  House  Square,  in  the 
center  of  the  town.  A  picket  coming  out  of  the  dark- 
ness called  out: 

"  Who  goes  there?  " 

"  A  friend,"  came  the  reply  in  a  muffled  voice. 

"  Advance  and  give  the  countersign,"  came  from 
the  sentinel. 

Two  of  Mosby's  men  did  advance,  but  they  did  not 
give  the  countersign.  On  the  contrary  they  threw 
a  coat  about  the  man's  head,  and  before  he  realized 
what  was  going  on  he  had  been  tied  and  gagged,  and 
placed  near  the  roadside  where  he  was  not  likely  to  do 
any  damage  to  the  expedition.  The  men  were  now 
given  specific  directions  by  Mosby  as  to  their  duties. 
The  proof  that  he  had  been  in  receipt  of  confidential 
messages  from  the  outpost  was  shown  by  the  fact  that 
he  was  able  to  direct  each  of  the  men  to  the  particu- 
lar place  where  he  would  find  a  particular  Union  offi- 
cer. They  separated  and  went  in  squads  to  different 
parts  of  the  city.  Mosby  was  particularly  anxious  to 
capture  Colonel  Wyndham,  because  that  officer  had  sent 
him  a  tantalizing  message  only  a  few  days  before;  but 
when  he  arrived  at  Wyndham's  tent  he  discovered 
that  his  man  was  not  there.     As  a  matter  of  fact  the 


278    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

officer  had  been  summoned  to  Washington  only  that 
morning  and  thus  escaped  the  humiHation  of  being 
captured  by  INIosby. 

In  the  meanwhile,  as  his  officers  went  about  their 
various  assignments,  the  chief  raider  made  for  the 
headquarters  of  General  Stoughton.  The  large  front 
door  was  unlocked,  of  course,  and  Mosby  proceeded 
upstairs  to  the  room  which  he  knew  was  occupied  by 
the  Union  officer.  He  tapped  at  the  door  and  in  a 
little  while  it  was  opened  by  a  young  lieutenant  who 
w-as  only  partly  dressed.  He  rubbed  his  eyes  and 
demanded  to  know  the  cause  of  such  a  visit  at  such  an 
unearthly  hour.  Mosby,  who  seemed  to  be  enjoying 
the  situation,  took  him  to  one  side  and  ordered  him  to 
take  care  not  to  speak  loudly  or  he  would  shoot  him 
instantly.  He  demanded  to  be  taken  to  the  bedside  of 
General  Stoughton,  and  as  the  young  man  was 
unarmed,  and  startled  into  the  bargain,  he  complied 
with  the  request.  Once  by  the  bedside  the  Guerrilla 
Chieftain  gave  the  sleeping  man  a  terrific  whack  that 
awakened  him  and  brought  him  out  of  bed  in  a  hurry. 
He  was  furious,  but  before  he  could  say  a  word  the 
invader  said  in  a  tragic  whisper : 

'*  Did  you  ever  hear  of  John  S.  Mosby?  " 

"  Certainly,"  was  the  quick  rejoinder.  "  Have  you 
captured  him?  " 

"  No,"  was  the  laughing  reply,  "  but  he  has  captured 
you." 

It  was  humiliating,  but  General  Stoughton  was 
unarmed  and  perfectly  helpless.  He  was  compelled 
to  dress  and  to  go  with  his  captor,  who  by  this  time 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  ''F"         279 

was  reen forced  by  a  number  of  his  men.  They  went 
in  the  direction  of  the  Court  House  Square  where  they 
found  the  remainder  of  the  raiders,  with  a  large  num- 
ber of  prisoners  lined  up  and  ready  for  departure. 
There  were  in  all,  fifty  or  sixty  prisoners  and  fifty- 
eight  horses.  In  the  darkness  some  of  the  prisoners 
escaped.  As  the  party  passed  a  dwelling  in  the  town 
a  voice  from  an  upper  window  demanded  to  know  who 
they  were.  It  happened  to  be  the  Lieutenant-Colonel 
of  a  New  York  Regiment.  Two  of  Mosby's  men  were 
sent  into  the  house  to  add  him  to  the  prizes  already 
in  hand  but  he  managed  to  elude  them  and  to 
escape. 

But  how  did  Mosby  and  his  men  get  out  of  Fairfax 
Ctjurt  House  without  arousing  the  soldiers  in  the 
vicinity?  Let  that  be  told  by  Mr.  John  W.  Munson, 
who  was  one  of  the  famous  raiders,  and  who  has  writ- 
ten a  most  entertaining  story  of  their  exploits.  "  It 
was  always  Mosby's  care,"  he  says,  "  to  get  his  men 
out  of  the  troubles  into  which  he  led  them.  The  troops 
in  the  town  knew  of  his  presence,  but  each  man  of 
them  seemed  to  be  looking  out  for  himself,  and  there 
was  no  concert  of  action.  Mosby  started  toward  Fair- 
fax Station  to  throw  his  pursuers  of?  their  guard,  and 
then  suddenly  turned  toward  Centreville.  To  pass 
that  point  meant  a  great  deal  to  him.  The  heavy  guns 
looked  down  frowningly  on  him  only  a  few  hundred 
yards  away,  and  the  sentinels  on  the  works  with  '  Who 
goes  there?  '  hailed  him  as  he  passed  under  them,  but 
he  made  no  reply.  Silently  the  little  troop  passed 
along  by  the  big  guns  of  the  forts  with  their  prisoners 


280    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

and  vanished  into  the  darkness.  Captain  Barker,  one 
of  the  prisoners,  made  a  dash  toward  the  fort  but  was 
shot  at  by  one  of  the  guerrillas  and  recaptured  just  as 
his  horse  fell  into  a  ditch. 

"  One  more  serious  danger  confronted  Mosby. 
Cub  Run,  just  beyond  Centre ville,  was  overflowing. 
Back  of  the  little  band  of  raiders  was  the  fort  with  its 
brigade  of  soldiers,  soon  to  be,  if  not  already  alarmed; 
in  front  of  them  a  raging  torrent.  There  was  not  an 
instant  of  hesitation  but,  plunging  into  the  mad  stream, 
the  whole  party  swam  safely  across,  although  many 
were  carried  downstream  with  the  current.  Once  on 
the  other  side  pursuit  seemed  almost  impossible  and, 
as  the  sun  rose  above  the  eastern  horizon,  Mosby 
breathed  his  first  sigh  of  relief.  Even  at  that  hour  he 
knew  that  he  had  graven  his  name  in  history  never  to 
be  effaced.  He  had  performed  another  feat  entirely 
new  in  the  annals  of  war,  and  one  that  was  never  to  be 
repeated.  In  time  he  reached  Culpepper  Court  House 
and  turned  his  prisoners  over  to  General  Fitz  Hugh 
Lee,  who  was  a  classmate  of  General  Stoughton's  at 
West  Point." 

In  the  morning  Lieutenant-Colonel  Johnston  started 
in  pursuit  of  Mosby,  but  it  was  too  late  to  capture  him 
or  to  save  the  prisoners  who  had  been  caught  so  clev- 
erly. The  news  spread  to  all  parts  of  the  country  and 
was  given  an  importance  far  beyond  its  military  mean- 
ing. It  was  humiliating,  of  course,  but  it  did  not  have 
any  positive  effect  upon  the  remaining  days  of  the  war. 
The  most  interesting  comment,  as  might  be  expected, 
came   from   President  Lincoln,   who,  when  informed 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  ''F"  281 

that  one  of  his  generals  and  a  large  number  of  horses 
had  been  captured  said,  dryly  : 

"  I'm  sorry  about  the  horses.  I  can  make  Briga- 
dier-Generals easily,  but  I  can't  make  horses." 

But  the  Confederates  were  not  disposed  to  look  upon 
the  matter  so  lightly.  They  knew  the  value  of  such 
an  e.xploit  in  stirring  up  the  enthusiasm  of  the  people. 
and  Mosby  was  advertised  as  a  popular  hero.  General 
Stuart  went  so  far  as  to  issue  a  special  order  proclaim- 
insr  the  incident.     It  read  as  follows : 

"  Captain  John  S.  Mosby  has  for  a  long  time 
attracted  the  attention  of  his  generals  by  his 
boldness,  skill  and  success,  so  signally  displayed 
in  his  numerous  forays  upon  the  invaders  of  his 
native  State. 

None  know  his  daring  enterprise  and  dash- 
ing heroism  better  than  these  foul  invaders 
though  strangers  themselves  to  such  noble 
traits. 

His  late  brilliant  exploit,  the  capture  of  General 
Stoughton,  U.  S.  A.,  two  captains,  thirty  other 
prisoners,  together  with  their  arms,  equipments 
and  fifty-eight  horses,  justifies  this  recognition 
in  General  Orders.  The  feat,  almost  unparalleled 
in  the  war,  was  performed  in  the  midst  of  the 
enemy's  troops,  at  Fairfax  Court  House,  without 
loss  to  Virginia. 

The  gallant  band  of  Captain  Mosby  share  the 
glory  as  they  did  the  danger  of  this  enterprise, 
and  are  worthy  of  such  a  leader." 


282     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

Secretary  of  War  Stanton  was  very  angry  over  the 
incident.  He  felt  that  it  was  the  result  of  bad  man- 
agement in  permitting  Union  secrets  to  be  discovered 
by  the  enemy  and  he  was  determined  to  know  just 
how  it  had  happened.  Secretary  Stanton  sent  for 
General  Lafayette  C.  Baker,  then  Chief  of  the  Federal 
Secret  Service,  and  instructed  him  to  make  a  thorough 
investigation  and  to  make  any  arrests  that  might  be 
deemed  necessary.  Baker  had  already  made  a  survey 
of  the  grounds  at  Fairfax  Court  House,  and  was 
familiar  with  the  incidents  of  the  raid.  He  was  per- 
fectly satisfied  that  the  Union  soldiers  had  been 
betrayed  by  a  spy.  And  he  came  to  another  impor- 
tant conclusion. 

It  was  that  the  work  had  been  done  by  a  woman 
spy! 

How  could  he  ascertain  the  identity  of  the  woman 
and  how  could  he  prove  her  guilt?  These  were  not 
the  sort  of  questions  to  be  easily  answered.  Baker 
suspected  the  daughter  of  one  of  the  leading  citizens 
of  Fairfax  Court  House,  but  he  had  too  much  expe- 
rience in  handling  delicate  matters  of  the  war  to  think 
of  arresting  a  woman  without  having  proof  of  her 
guilt.  It  would  not  do  to  place  the  case  in  the  hands 
of  the  soldiers.  Their  methods  were  likely  to  be 
crude,  and  besides  might  cause  complications.  He 
thought  over  the  matter  for  some  time  and  then  he 
made  a  momentous  decision.  He  decided  to  place  the 
case  in  the  hands  of  a  woman  operative  in  his  own 
office. 

It  was  to  be  a  case  of  woman  against  .woman ! 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  ''F"  283 

The  woman  operative,  who  shall  have  to  be  known 
as  Miss  Clarke,  prepared  for  her  part  with  the  greatest 
care.  She  even  perfected  herself  in  the  charming 
Southern  dialect  so  that  she  should  be  immediately 
taken  for  a  daughter  of  the  Sunny  South.  It  was 
probably  a  week  after  the  Mosby  raid  that  a  fine-look- 
ing and  apparently  embarrassed  woman  arrived  at 
Fairfax  Court  House.  Finally  she  managed  to  enlist 
the  attention  of  the  young  woman  who  was  known 
all  through  the  transaction  as  "  F."  The  stranger, 
with  feminine  impulsiveness,  gave  her  complete 
confidence  to  "  F."  She  said  that  she  was  greatly 
attached  to  the  Confederate  cause,  that  she  was  really 
a  friend  and  an  agent  of  the  South  and  that  she 
wanted  advice  and  assistance  in  an  effort  to  reach 
Warrington.  "  F,"  who  was  the  spy  that  had  be- 
trayed Stoughton  to  Mosby,  literally  received  the  new- 
comer with  open  arms.  She  took  her  to  her  own 
home  where  she  was  given  a  warm  reception.  Miss 
Clarke  was  given  a  repast  which  included  corn  muf- 
fins, and  when  they  were  placed  before  her  she  ex- 
claimed : 

"  This  makes  me  feel  that  I  am  home  again  in  the 
good  old  South.  It  has  been  terrible  to  have  to  live 
in  the  North  with  those  Yankees.  I  have  never  seen 
a  corn  cake  since  I  left  the  Virginia  line." 

Everybody  laughed  at  this  and  everybody  was 
happy.  It  really  seemed  like  a  family  reunion.  The 
visitor  was  petted  and  patronized  and  made  to  feel  that 
she  was  a  person  of  great  importance.  And  why  not? 
Wasn't  she  engaged  in  carrying  dispatches  to  the  lead- 


284    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

ers  of  the  Confederacy  —  dispatches  which  might 
result  in  the  downfall  of  the  Yankee  Government? 
They  forebore  to  ask  her  the  nature  of  the  confidential 
information  which  she  claimed  to  be  taking  to  War- 
rington. Naturally  she  would  be  reluctant  to  impart 
that  even  to  such  good  friends  as  they  had  shown  them- 
selves. 

How  did  Miss  Clarke  feel  under  these  circum- 
stances? Did  she  have  qualms  of  conscience  at  the 
thought  of  eating  the  bread  of  the  family  she  might 
soon  be  called  upon  to  denounce?  Not  in  the  least. 
She  knew  that  the  young  woman  before  her  had  al- 
ready betrayed  the  Union  soldiers  from  a  sense  of  loy- 
alty to  her  section,  and  Miss  Clarke  did  not  have  the 
slightest  compunction  about  betraying  "  F  "  in  turn. 
But  the  thing  was  to  get  the  proof.  She  could  give 
evidence  that  the  family  of  "  F  "  sympathized  with 
the  Confederacy  and  was  willing  to  do  anything  to  aid 
them,  but  that  was  not  sufficient  for  her  purpose. 
How  could  she  get  evidence  — documentary  evidence 
if  possible? 

The  answer  came  quicker  than  she  had  hoped  for. 
"  F  "  invited  her  to  her  bedroom,  and  when  they  had 
closed  the  door  said  to  the  visitor, 

*'  I  have  something  I  am  going  to  show  you.  I  think 
it  will  interest  you  for  we  are  engaged  in  the  same 
cause." 

With  that  she  reached  under  the  mattress  and 
brought  forth  a  document  which  she  handed  to  her 
visitor.  Miss  Clarke  read  it  with  glowing  eyes.  It 
ran  as  follows : 


MAJOR -O  F.N  KRAI.    J.    K.    B.    STUART 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  "F''  285 

TO  ALL  WHOM  IT  MAY  CONCERN,  KNOW 
YE :  That  reposing  special  confidence  in  the  patriot- 
ism and  fidelity  of  "  F,"  I,  James  E.  B.  Stuart,  by 
virtue  of  the  power  vested  in  me  as  Brigadier-General 
in  the  provisional  army  of  the  Confederate  States  of 
America,  do  hereby  appoint  and  commission  her  my 
honorary  aide-de-camp,  to  rank  as  such  from  this 
date. 

She  will  be  obeyed,  respected  and  admired  by  all 
lovers  of  a  noble  nature. 

Given  under  my  hand  and  seal  at  the  headquarters 
Cavalry  Brigade  at  Camp  Beverly  the  Seventh  day  of 
October,  A.  D.,  1861,  and  the  first  year  of  our  inde- 
pendence. 

(Signed)  J.  E.  B.  STUART, 
By  the  General :     L.  TIEMAN, 

Assistant  Adjutant  General. 

Here  was  evidence  of  a  most  damaging  character. 
Miss  Clarke  could  scarcely  restrain  her  emotions  at  the 
important  discovery.  "  F  "  noticed  this  and  instead 
of  suspecting  that  all  was  not  well,  took  the  actions  of 
her  companion  as  the  natural  expressions  of  feeling 
under  the  circumstances.  She  put  a  question  to  the 
other : 

"  Don't  you  feel  frightened  sometimes  —  you  are 
engaged  in  very  dangerous  work." 

"  I  know  that  very  well,"  replied  Miss  Clarke,  "  but 
I  am  sustained  by  the  thought  that  I  am  doing  it  for 
the  sake  of  my  country." 

This  was  followed  by  an  embrace  on  the  part  of  the 


286    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

two  women  —  both  spies,  but  only  one  conscious  of 
the  true  conditions.  It  might  be  supposed  that  hav- 
ing obtained  proof  of  the  identity  and  the  complicity 
of  "  F  "  that  Miss  Clarke  might  go  on  her  way.  But 
she  remained  for  twenty-four  hours  longer  and  in  that 
time  obtained  a  mass  of  information,  not  only  concern- 
ing the  suspected  woman,  but  also  about  the  location 
and  the  movement  of  the  Southern  troops.  Finally 
she  departed  —  departed  w  ith  another  kiss  and  em- 
brace. 

Two  days  later  Sergeant  Odell,  connected  with  the 
staff  of  General  Baker,  called  at  the  residence  of  one 
of  the  leading  citizens  of  Fairfax  Court  House  and 
demanded  to  see  his  daughter.  The  young  woman 
came  into  the  room. 

"  What  can  I  do  for  you?  "  she  asked  calmly. 
"  You    have    been    identified    as    '  F,'    the    famous 
Southern  spy,"  said  the  officer,  "  and  I  have  come  here 
for  the  purpose  of  taking  you  into  custody." 

She  submitted  without  a  murmur  and  with  a  smile. 
Evidently  she  knew  the  danger  of  her  calling  and 
expected  to  be  arrested  at  any  time.  The  young 
woman  was  searched  and  in  her  possession  w^ere  found 
a  number  of  letters  and  papers  from  Southern  officers. 
Also  was  found  her  commission  from  General  Stuart 
which  Miss  Clarke  had  considerately  left  behind.  At 
the  time  Odell  was  placing  "  F  "  under  arrest  other 
officers  were  making  a  search  of  her  home  which  was 
still  occupied  by  members  of  her  family.  They  found 
quite  a  number  of  damaging  papers,  and  also  a  large 
quantity   of   Confederate  money.     That   same   night 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  ''F"  287 

"  F  "  was  taken  to  Washington  and  lodged  in  the  old 
Capital  prison. 

General  Baker,  in  a  report  upon  the  subject  which 
he  made  to  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  the  Secretary  of  War, 
enclosing  this  commission,  said : 

"'  This  document,  undoubtedly  authentic  and  bearing 
the  genuine  signature  and  private  seal  of  General  J.  E. 
B.  Stuart,  is  of  itself  strong  evidence  of  the  apprecia- 
tion of  which  '  F's  '  treasonable  services  as  a  spy  and 
informer  were  held  by  her  Rebel  employers.  The 
proof  of  '  F's  '  former  employment  in  the  service  may 
be  considered  indisputable;  that  of  her  more  recent 
services  and  especially  in  connection  with  the  late 
attack  upon  our  outpost  at  Fairfax  Court  House  is 
not  less  conclusive;  that  proof  consists  in  the  volun- 
tary acknowledgment  and  declaration  by  *  F  '  that  she 
made  herself  acquainted  while  a  resident  within  our 
lines  at  Fairfax  Court  House  of  all  the  particulars 
relating  to  the  numbers  of  our  forces  there  and  in  the 
neighborhood,  the  location  of  our  camps,  the  places 
where  officers'  quarters  were  established,  the  precise 
points  where  our  pickets  were  stationed,  the  strength 
of  the  outposts,  the  names  of  officers  in  command,  the 
nature  of  general  orders  and  all  other  information 
valuable  to  the  Rebel  leaders;  that  such  information 
had  been  communicated  by  her  to  Captain  Mosby  ol 
the  Confederate  Army  immediately  before  the  attack 
on  our  outposts  above  mentioned :  and  that  it  has  been 
in  consequence  of.  the  precision  and  correctness  of 
such  information  that  Captain  Mosby  had  been  enabled 
successfully  to  attack  and  surprise  the  pickets  and  out- 


288    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

posts  of  our  forces,  to  find  without  delay  or  difficulty 
the  quarters  of  General  Stoughton  and  other  United 
States  officers,  to  capture  that  officer  and  a  large 
amount  of  Government  property  and  effect  a  large 
return  within  the  Confederate  lines. 

" '  F '  also  stated  to  my  informant  that  Captain 
Mosby  had,  but  a  short  time  before  the  rebel  raid  at 
Fairfax,  been  a  guest  at  '  F's  '  house  at  that  place, 
that  he  had  remained  there  three  days  and  three  nights, 
disguised  in  citizen's  dress  and  that  during  such  visit 
she  had  given  to  him  all  the  information  and  details 
which  afterward  enabled  him  successfully  to  attack 
our  forces.  '  F  '  also  stated  that  on  an  occasion  while 
she  was  taking  a  ride  on  horseback,  accompanied  by  a 
member  of  General  Stoughton's  staff,  they  were  met 
by  Captain  Mosby,  also  on  horseback,  but  in  citizen's 
dress  and  that  she  and  Captain  Mosby  recognized  and 
saluted  each  other." 

The  official  histories  of  the  Civil  War  are  singularly 
silent  regarding  the  fate  of  the  celebrated  "  F."  Was 
she  tried  and  convicted?  Or  was  she  acquitted  and 
released  ?  Her  identity  was  proven,  but  it  is  not  writ- 
ten in  the  records  of  the  war,  and  consequently  it  is 
not  given  in  this  narrative.  It  is  known  that  President 
Lincoln,  with  his  shrewd,  common  sense,  and  his  won- 
derful ability  to  make  the  best  of  perplexing  situa- 
tions, did  not  look  upon  the  girl  as  a  dreadful  offender. 
But  if  he  was  not  willing  to  condemn  her,  he  was  not 
disposed  to  formally  condone  her  offense.  What  hap- 
pened to  her?  Can  it  be  possible  that  the  door  of  her 
cell  was  conveniently  left  open  one  night,  and  that  on 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  ''F"  289 

the  following  morning  she  was  not  found  in  her  accus- 
tomed place?  Quite  likely.  At  all  events  the  reader 
is  free  to  draw  any  conclusion  he,  or  she,  may  like. 

One  thing  certain  is  that  she  did  return  to  her  home 
in  Virginia,  and  that  her  descendants  are  to-day  among 
the  residents  of  the  Old  Dominion. 


XVIII 

THE  MYSTERIOUS  MAN  WHO  ASKED 
FOR  A  LIGHT 


XVIII 

THE  MYSTERIOUS  MAN  WHO  ASKED 
EOR  A  LIGHT 

ONE  afternoon  in  the  summer  of  1898,  a  shrewd, 
bright-eyed  looking  man  stepped  up  to  another 
man  in  a  corridor  of  a  hotel  in  Toronto,  Can- 
ada, and  asked  him  if  he  would  give  him  a  light  for 
his  cigarette. 

A  trivial  incident,  one  might  say,  and  yet  upon  that 
insignificant  episode  rested  a  movement  which  had  for 
its  object  the  ridding  of  the  United  States  of  Spanish 
spies  in  the  war  which  was  then  going  on  between  this 
country  and  the  Kingdom  of  Spain. 

In  order  to  make  this  veracious  record  perfectly 
clear  it  is  necessary  to  retrace  our  steps.  For  many 
months  prior  to  the  time  mentioned,  the  relations 
between  the  United  States  and  Spain  had  been  greatly 
strained  because  of  the  troublesome  Cuban  situation. 
President  McKinley  had  entered  a  serious  protest  to 
the  King  of  Spain,  and  told  him  that  it  was  important 
for  our  peace  that  the  Cubans  should  be  pacified.  But 
they  were  not  pacified,  and  things  went  on  from  bad 
to  worse  until  they  came  to  a  startling  and  dramatic 
climax  on  the  fifteenth  of  February,  1898,  when  the 
cruiser  Maine  was  blown  up  in  the  harbor  of  Havana 
and  a  number  of  Americans  were  killed. 

293 


294    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

A  wave  of  indignation  swept  the  country  from 
Maine  to  California.  A  chorus  went  up  from  all 
classes  in  favor  of  demanding  satisfaction  from  Spain 

—  for,  in  the  popular  mind,  Spain  was  responsible  for 
the  outrage.  The  cry  everywhere  was  "  Remember 
the  Maine! "  Prior  to  that  time  the  Spanish  Minister 
had  been  recalled  from  Washington  because  of  an 
indiscretion,  and  now  our  Minister  at  Madrid,  General 
Woodford,  was  handed  his  passports,  and  on  April  22, 
President  McKinley  issued  a  proclamation  saying  that 
a  state  of  war  existed  between  this  nation  and  Spain. 

That  is  history  and  is  known  to  all.  What  followed 
is  likewise  history,  but  it  is  by  no  means  so  well  known. 
The  first  act  of  the  State  Department  was  to  inform 
all  of  the  members  of  the  staff  of  the  Spanish  Embassy 

—  in  polite  language,  of  course  —  that  their  room  was 
preferable  to  their  company.  This  seemed  like  a  mat- 
ter of  form  that  did  not  deserve  much  thought.  And 
the  State  Department,  having  served  the  required  no- 
tice, promptly  forgot  it.  But  there  was  one  bureau 
of  the  United  States  Government  where  it  was  kept  in 
mind,  and  that  was  the  Secret  Service  Division. 

John  E.  Wilkie  was  then  the  Chief  of  that  most 
important  branch  of  the  Treasury  Department,  and  he 
had  been  voted  a  modest  sum  by  Congress  for  the 
purpose  of  keeping  the  country  free  from  spies. 
Heretofore  his  work  had  been  to  keep  the  nation  free 
from  counterfeiters.  In  both  cases  he  was  dealing 
with  crafty  and  elusive  enemies.  He  proceeded  to 
build  up  a  war  organization  and  he  posted  his  best  men 
in  the  large  cities  of  this  country  and  Canada.     In  his 


JOHN  E.  WILKIE 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  MAN         295 

office  he  had  a  large  map  of  the  United  States,  and  by 
the  use  of  steel  pins  he  could  tell  at  a  glance  just  where 
his  operatives  were  located.  Thus  he  had  men  acting 
as  the  eyes  and  the  ears  of  the  Government  in  the 
cities  of  Montreal,  Toronto,  New  York,  Philadelphia, 
Washington,  Newport  News,  Savannah,  Jacksonville, 
Tampa,  Key  West,  Mobile,  New  Orleans,  Galveston 
and  San  Francisco. 

Now,  when  the  members  of  the  staff  of  the  Spanish 
Embassy  were  told  to  get  out  of  the  country  Wilkie 
determined  to  make  it  his  business  to  see  that  they  did 
get  out.  To  make  sure,  he  furnished  them  with  an 
escort  —  an  invisible  escort  —  in  the  person  of  the 
operatives  of  the  Secret  Service  Division.  He  sus- 
pected that  some  of  them  would  be  so  interested  in  the 
game  of  war  that  they  might  be  tempted  to  remain  on 
this  side  of  the  ocean  and  take  part  in  the  game.  And 
his  suspicions  were  perfectly  correct.  For  instance, 
Ramon  Carranza,  who  had  been  Naval  Attache  at 
Washington,  found  it  convenient  to  linger  in  the  city 
of  Toronto.  That  would  have  been  perfectly  proper 
if  he  had  not  been  found  talking  to  a  person  who  was 
far  from  proper. 

And  this  is  where  this  story  really  begins  —  with 
the  episode  of  the  man  who  asked  for  a  light  in  the 
semi-darkened  corridor  of  a  Toronto  hotel.  The  op- 
erative who  had  been  sent  to  the  Canadian  city  by 
Chief  \\'ilkie  happened  to  stop  at  the  same  hotel  as 
the  former  Attache  of  the  Spanish  Embassy.  By  a 
curious  coincidence  he  happened  to  get  a  room  directly 
adjoining  the  one  occupied  by  Senor  Carranza.     And, 


296     THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

moreover,  he  happened  to  see  every  one  that  came  in 
or  out  of  that  room.  Also,  he  overheard  some  of  the 
conversation  that  went  on  in  the  apartment.  Thus 
on  the  afternoon  with  which  we  are  concerned  he  saw 
a  man  with  a  hang-dog  look  go  into  the  room,  and 
from  time  to  time  he  caught  fragments  of  conversation. 
One  of  the  things  he  heard  the  visitor  say  was  "  so  I 
will  write  to  the  address  you  have  given  me  in  Mont- 
real." There  was  some  further  talk,  which  could 
only  be  heard  indistinctly,  but  the  listener  managed  to 
discover  that  the  man  who  was  doing  the  talking  had  a 
surprising  knowledge  of  the  conditions  at  the  Brooklyn 
Navy  Yard.  Presently  the  conversation  came  to  an 
end  and  the  visitor  left  the  room.  The  listener  left 
his  room  at  the  same  moment,  and  he  came  into  con- 
tact with  the  other  man  in  the  hallway.  As  they 
gained  the  head  of  the  stairway  he  turned  to  the 
strange  talker  in  the  most  casual  manner  and  said : 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  but  will  you  kindly  favor  me 
with  a  light  for  my  cigarette?  " 

The  mysterious  stranger  halted  and  courteously 
complied  with  the  request.  And  in  those  few  seconds 
in  that  dim  hallway,  by  the  light  of  the  burning  match, 
the  Secret  Service  operative  obtained  what  he  most 
desired  —  a  view  of  the  other  man's  face.  In  that 
brief  period  of  time  the  characteristics  of  the  suspect 
were  indelibly  stamped  upon  his  memory.  The  two 
men  parted.  The  one  who  had  been  closeted  with  the 
former  Naval  Attache  of  the  Spanish  Embassy  went 
out  into  the  street  and  proceeded  to  a  remote  part  of 
the  city.     He  went  to  an  obscure  hotel  and  registered 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  MAN         297 

and  was  given  a  room.  The  operative  of  the  Secret 
Service  followed  him  and  at  the  first  convenient  oppor- 
tunity he  scrutinized  the  hotel  register.  The  name  he 
found  inscribed  thereon  was  "  Alexander  Cree."  His 
theory  was  that  it  was  an  assumed  name.  At  all 
events  he  shadowed  his  man.  He  watched  his  every 
movement,  and  soon  afterwards  he  sent  a  code  tele- 
gram to  John  E.  Wilkie,  the  Chief  of  the  Secret  Ser- 
vice at  Washington. 

The  scene  now  shifts  to  the  National  Capital.  Mr. 
Wilkie  was  still  in  his  office  occupied  with  the  duties 
which  pressed  heavily  upon  a  man  in  charge  of  an  im- 
portant department,  and  whose  force  was  scarcely  large 
enough  for  the  work  they  were  called  upon  to  do  day 
by  day  at  a  most  critical  stage  in  the  history  of  the 
nation.  Shortly  before  midnight  the  telegram  came 
from  Toronto.  It  was  given  to  the  code  man  of  the 
office  and  in  a  short  time  he  had  transcribed  it.  In 
plain  English  it  read  as  follows : 

"  Young  Southerner,  Alexander  Cree,  of  Hillsboro, 
I  think,  leaves  for  Washington  to-night.  My  height 
and  build,  small,  dark  moustache,  black  soft  felt  hat, 
black  sack  coat,  black  sailor  tie,  somewhat  shabby,  evi- 
dently served  on  Brooklyn,  has  intimate  knowledge  of 
Naval  matters.  Just  had  long  interview  with  Naval 
Attache.     He  is  to  write  to  Montreal." 

This  was  news  with  a  vengeance.  There  was  great 
activity  about  the  offices  of  the  Secret  Service  Division 
that  night.  Several  of  the  best  men  who  w-ere  in  the 
city  were  quickly  summoned  and  given  a  description 
of  the  man  who  was  expected  from  Canada.     It  was 


298    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

almost  midnight  when  Chief  Wilkie  left  for  his  home, 
but  when  he  quit  the  Department  to  get  a  few  hours' 
sleep  it  was  with  the  knowledge  that  he  had  made 
arrangements  for  giving  Mr.  Cree  a  hospitable  recep- 
tion upon  his  arrival  in  Washington. 

That  night  every  railroad  station  leading  into  the 
Capital  was  closely  guarded  by  Secret  Service  men. 
They    carefully     scrutinized     every    passenger    who 
alighted,  paying  special  attention  to  those  who  were 
likely  to  have  come  from  Canada.     It  was  a  big  job, 
but   it  was  performed   with  thoroughness.     Many  a 
passenger  that  night  must  have  been  annoyed  at  the 
manner  in  which  he  was  watched  by  the  alert  repre- 
sentatives of  the  United  States  Government.     But,  if 
they  felt  any  annoyance,  they  must  have  realized  that 
they  were  living  in  war  times  and  must  expect  all 
sorts    of    queer    things.     Finally,    "Mr.    Alexander 
Cree  "  arrived,  and  it  is  significant  of  the  efficiency  of 
the  system  that  he  was  immediately  spotted  by  the 
waiting  detectives.     The  description  sent  by  the  opera- 
tive at  Toronto  had  served  them  well.     They  recog- 
nized him  as  easily  as  if  they  were  in  possession  of  his 
photograph. 

From  that  moment  there  was  a  Secret  Service  man 
watching  him.  When  one  man  was  tired  another 
quickly  took  his  place,  and,  as  a  consequence,  there  was 
not  a  thing  he  did,  and  scarcely  a  thing  he  said,  that 
was  not  known  to  Chief  Wilkie  a  few  hours  after- 
wards. His  first  move  was  to  get  something  to  eat, 
which  was  an  entirely  natural  and  by  no  means  an 
unpatriotic  act.     But  after  that  he  went  to  the  Navy 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  MAN         299 

Department,  and  apparently  wandered  about  in  an 
aimless  manner.  Uut,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  he  had  a 
purpose  in  visiting  that  place.  Just  whether  some  one 
in  the  Department  was  acting  in  collusion  with  him 
was  not  clearly  established.  Finally  he  went  to  his 
lodgings  on  E  Street.  He  occupied  a  second-story 
room,  and  as  soon  as  he  reached  it  he  made  a  light  and 
settled  down  to  work  before  a  desk  which  could  be  seen 
from  the  street.  Evidently  a  quantity  of  mail  had 
accumulated  during  his  absence  in  the  Dominion,  be- 
cause he  was  occupied  for  some  time  in  opening  and 
reading  letters.  For  hours  he  remained  there  silhouet- 
ted against  the  window  shade  while  the  Secret  Service 
men  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street  observed  every 
move  he  made. 

Thus,  while  Washington  slept,  an  enemy  of  the 
Republic  and  its  defenders  engaged  in  a  game  that  was 
to  have  the  greatest  bearing  upon  the  conduct  of  the 
war.  It  is  difficult  to  decide  which  was  the  most 
amazing,  the  daring  and  impudence  of  the  conspirator 
in  thus  working  under  the  very  dome  of  the  Capitol, 
or  the  pertinacity  and  bull-dog  determination  of  the 
Secret  Service  operatives  in  keeping  this  man  under 
their  constant  supervision.  It  began  to  look  as  if  he 
would  never  go  to  bed.  But  presently  there  was  a 
movement  in  the  room  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  dark- 
complexioned  man  in  the  soft  hat  came  out  of  the 
house  and  walked  across  the  street  in  the  direction  of  a 
letter  box.  He  opened  the  lid  and  slid  a  long  envelope 
into  the  aperture.  Then  he  turned  and  went  back  to 
his  lodgings.     In  a  little  while  the  light  was  extin- 


300    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

guished  and  then  "  Alexander  Cree  "  retired  to  sleep 
the  sleep  —  if  not  of  the  just  at  least  of  the  indus- 
trious man. 

But  the  Secret  Service  operatives  did  not  go  to 
sleep.  They  were  more  alert  than  ever.  One  man 
kept  guard  over  the  lodgings  of  the  suspect  and  the 
other  remained  by  the  side  of  the  letter  box.  At  day- 
light he  got  into  communication  with  Chief  Wilkie, 
and  as  a  consequence  of  his  report  an  arrangement 
was  made  with  the  Postmaster  of  Washington  by 
which  that  particular  letter  box  was  opened,  and  the 
particular  missive  dropped  into  the  box  by  the  man 
from  Toronto  turned  over  to  Chief  Wilkie.  A  short 
time  later  a  "  council  of  war  "  was  held  in  the  office 
of  the  Chief  of  the  Secret  Service.  The  object  of 
interest  was  the  suspected  letter.  It  was  in  an  ordi- 
nary white,  oblong  envelope,  and  it  was  addressed  to 
F.  W.  Dicken,  1248  Dorchester  Street,  Montreal,  Can- 
ada. The  address  instantly  called  to  mind  the  report 
of  the  operative  in  Toronto.  He  had  heard  the  mys- 
terious stranger  say  to  the  Naval  Attache  "  so  I  am  to 
write  to  the  address  you  have  given  me  in  Montreal." 
It  was  evident  that  they  were  "  getting  warm  "  as  the 
children  say  in  their  games.  But  when  the  letter  was 
opened  all  need  for  conjecture  was  past.  The  amaz- 
ing communication  read  as  follows: 

*'  A  cipher  message  has  been  sent  from  the  Navy 
Department  to  San  Francisco  directing  the  Cruiser 
Charleston  to  proceed  to  Manila  with  500  men  and 
machinery  for  repairs  to  Dewey.  A  long  cipher  has 
been   received    from   Dewey   at   Department   at   3.30 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  MAN         301 

o'clock.  They  are  translating  it  now.  Cannot  find 
it  out  yet.  Have  heard  important  news  respecting 
movements  of  colliers  and  cruisers.  Newark  at  Nor- 
folk Navy  Yard ;  also  about  the  new  Holland  boat,  as 
to  what  they  intend  to  do  with  her  and  her  destination, 
I  shall  go  to  Norfolk  soon  to  find  important  news. 
My  address  will  be  Norfolk  House,  Norfolk,  Vir- 
ginia, but  shall  not  go  until  Tuesday." 

This  was  signed  "  G.  D."  and  was  marked  "  in 
haste."  The  first  move  of  Chief  Wilkie  was  to  make 
sure  that  the  man  was  guarded.  His  investigations 
proved  that  there  was  no  possibility  of  "  G.  D."  escap- 
ing from  Washington.  Then  he  got  into  communica- 
tion with  the  Secretary  of  War  and  the  Secretary  of 
the  Navy  and  informed  them  of  the  information  that 
had  been  intercepted.  The  immediate  effect  of  this 
was  to  tighten  the  discipline  in  each  of  these  Depart- 
ments. All  unauthorized  persons  were  to  be  kept  out 
of  the  building  and  a  strict  watch  was  kept  upon  all  of 
the  employees.  The  inference  was  that  some  one  in 
the  Navy  Department  had  been  co-operating  with  "  G. 
D."  and  that  this  person  had  supplied  him  with  infor- 
mation upon  his  return  from  Canada. 

The  question  of  taking  the  spy  into  custody  was  next 
considered.  It  was  decided  that  this  should  be  done 
at  once.  As  it  was  a  matter  that  technically  came  un- 
der the  military  power  of  the  Government,  Chief  Wil- 
kie made  application  to  the  War  Department,  and  as  a 
result  of  this  Captain  Saye  of  the  Eighth  Artillery, 
with  a  corporal  and  one  other  man.  was  ordered  to 
report  to  him  for  duty.     Thus  fortified,  the  head  of 


302    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

the  Secret  Service  Division  started  for  the  apartment 
on  E  Street.  The  little  procession  going  from  the 
Treasury  Department  attracted  very  little  attention, 
and  the  passers-by  did  not  realize  what  was  going  on. 
But  all  of  those  in  the  little  group  understood  the  im- 
portance of  their  mission  so  far  as  the  Government 
was  concerned. 

It  was  eleven  o'clock  at  night  and  when  they  arrived 
at  the  house  occupied  by  "  G.  D."  they  discovered  a 
light  burning  in  the  second-story  room.  It  was  evi- 
dent that  the  spy  was  continuing  his  habits  of  indus- 
try. The  Chief  gained  admission  without  any  diffi- 
culty, and,  followed  by  the  others,  made  for  the  upper 
room.  The  supposed  Alexander  Cree  was  sitting  at 
his  desk  engaged  in  writing.  He  seemed  surprised  at 
the  intrusion,  but  received  his  callers  politely.  Evi- 
dently his  calling  had  accustomed  him  to  visits  at  all 
hours  of  the  day  and  night. 

"  Well,  gentlemen,"  he  said,  "  what  can  I  do  for 
you?" 

"  To  start  with,"  said  the  spokesman  of  the  invading 
party,  "  we  would  like  to  have  the  letter  you  are  writ- 
ing and  all  of  the  documents  you  have  in  that  desk." 

For  the  first  time  he  showed  surprise.  He  smiled 
faintly  and  then  rejoined : 

"  Perhaps  you  will  let  me  know  the  cause  of  this 
unexpected  visit." 

"  Certainly.  We  have  come  to  arrest  you  as  a 
spy !  " 

Cree  turned  very  white.  He  steadied  himself  by 
resting  against  the  side  of  a  bureau.     It  was  some 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  MAN         303 

moments  before  he  was  able  to  speak,  and  then  mois- 
tening his  lips  with  the  tip  of  his  tongue  he  murmured : 

"  Who  are  you,  and  what  authority  have  you  got  for 
talking  in  this  manner?  " 

"  It's  no  use,  young  man,"  was  the  quick  retort,  "  we 
have  the  goods  on  you,  and  if  you  have  any  doubt 
about  it  we  can  show  you  the  letter  which  you  mailed  to 
Montreal  and  which  has  been  intercepted  by  the  United 
States  Government." 

The  spy  looked  at  the  speaker  helplessly.  His  white 
face  contrasted  sharply  with  his  black  moustache. 
For  a  moment  he  swayed  uncertainly,  and  fell  to  the 
floor  in  a  heap.  He  was  a  most  abject  spectacle,  and  it 
was  necessary  to  carry  him  out  of  the  room.  That 
night  he  spent  in  a  cell,  facing  a  charge  of  treason 
against  the  Government,  and  wondering  what  his  fate 
would  be. 

A  mass  of  compromising  letters  and  papers  were 
found  in  the  room.  From  some  of  these  it  was  proven 
that  "  G.  D."  was  a  naturalized  citizen  and  a  former 
yeoman  on  the  cruiser  Brooklyn.  What  had  prompted 
him  to  turn  against  his  own  country?  Could  it  have 
have  been  some  grievance,  real  or  fancied?  Was  it 
Spanish  gold?  Chief  Wilkie  discovered  many  inter- 
esting things  among  the  papers  that  were  found  in  the 
room  on  E  Street.  Among  them  was  a  slip  of  paper 
which  contained  what  is  known  as  Slater's  Code.  It 
said:  "To  send  add  lOo;  to  receive  subtract  lOO." 
This  was  the  key  to  the  cipher  which  he  was  to  em- 
ploy in  sending  messages  to  his  employers.  The  ci- 
pher contained  thousands  of  ordinary  words  arranged 


304    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

alphabetically  and  having  fixed  consecutive  numbers 
of  five  figures  each.  Why  he  had  not  employed  it  in 
the  compromising  communication  to  Montreal  was 
never  known.  Possibly  over-confidence  had  made  him 
careless  for  the  moment. 

In  the  meantime  Chief  Wilkie  had  his  organization 
working  overtime.  The  United  States  map  in  his 
office  containing  the  little  steel  pins  to  indicate  the  posi- 
tion of  his  men  in  different  parts  of  the  United  States 
and  Canada  was  consulted  repeatedly  during  the  next 
twenty- four  hours.  Telegrams  in  code  were  sent  in 
all  directions.  As  the  result  another  spy  was  captured 
in  Tampa,  Florida.  By  one  of  the  curious  freaks  of 
fate  this  man  was  critically  ill  when  he  was  taken  into 
custody  and  died  shortly  afterwards.  But  the  great- 
est activity  was  in  Canada.  It  was  learned  that  the 
Dorchester  Street  house  had  only  been  leased  a  few 
days  before,  and  that  it  was  intended  as  the  rendez- 
vous of  the  Spanish  spies  in  Canada.  It  was  clear 
that  a  private  detective  agency  had  been  organized  in 
Canada  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  information  con- 
cerning the  movements  of  the  American  troops. 

Another  amazing  thing  that  was  discovered  in  con- 
nection with  this  spy  system  related  to  the  manner  in 
which  these  men  were  to  work.  They  were  to  join 
the  United  States  army  and  to  go  with  the  army  of 
invasion  into  Cuba,  Porto  Rico  and  the  Philippines. 
When  the  opportunity  offered  they  were  to  permit 
themselves  to  be  captured  by  the  Spanish  soldiers. 
After  furnishing  all  of  the  information  possible  to  the 
enemy  they  were  to  return  to  the  American  lines  and 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  MAN         305 

continue  their  system  of  espionage.  All  of  this  was 
worked  out  with  the  greatest  attention  to  detail.  Each 
one  of  the  spies  was  supplied  with  a  plain  gold  or  silver 
ring.  On  this  was  engraved  the  words  "  Confienza 
Augustine."  That  was  to  be  their  means  of  identifica- 
tion to  the  Spanish  Generals.  Needless  to  say,  the  dis- 
covery of  the  plot  nipped  that  scheme  in  the  bud,  and 
rendered  it  useless  for  the  remainder  of  the  war. 

But  what  Chief  Wilkie  and  his  associates  desired 
more  than  anything  else  was  some  evidence  to  directly 
connect  the  members  of  the  late  Spanish  Embassy  with 
the  operations  of  "  G.  D."  and  the  plot  in  Canada.  It 
came  sooner  than  was  expected.  One  of  the  Secret 
Service  operatives  who  investigated  the  Dorchester 
Street  house  found  some  letters  which  established  this 
connection.  One  of  them  was  a  communication  from 
Ramon  Carranza  to  Sefior  Don  Jose  Gomez  Ymas. 
It  was  short  and  sweet.  It  said :  *'  We  have  had  bad 
luck  for  they  have  captured  two  of  our  best  spies  — 
one  in  Washington  and  the  other  in  Tampa." 

This  made  it  appear  that  the  former  Naval  Attache 
was  quite  as  indiscreet  as  the  supposed  Alexander  Cree. 
At  all  events,  the  evidence  in  the  case  was  furnished  to 
Lord  Pauncefoote,  the  English  Ambassador  to  Wash- 
ington, and,  upon  his  representations,  the  Canadian 
authorities  made  it  their  business  to  deport  the  entire 
Spanish  outfit. 

Two  days  later  the  Chief  of  the  Secret  Service 
Division  went  to  the  jail  at  the  National  Capital  for 
the  purpose  of  interviewing  the  man  who  had  permit- 
ted himself  to  be  made  a  dupe  of  the  Spanish  Govern- 


306    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

ment.     When  the  door  of  the  cell  was  opened  a  dread- 
ful sight  met  his  eyes : 

"  G.  D.,"  the  chief  spy  of  the  Spanish-American  war, 
had  hanged  himself  —  a  dramatic  and  horrible  climax 
to  one  of  the  most  interesting  incidents  in  American 
history. 


XIX 

CARL  LODY  AND  SPIES  OF  THE 
WORLD'S  GREATEST  WAR 


XIX 

CARL  LODY  AND  SPIES  OF  THE 
WORLD'S  GREATEST  WAR 

THE  world's  greatest  armed  conflict  which  began 
with  Austria's  declaration  of  war  against  Ser- 
via  on  July  28,  1914,  and  which  has  since  in- 
volved most  of  the  important  nations  of  the  earth,  has 
produced  hundreds,  nay,  thousands  of  spies,  but  the 
very  secrecy  which  is  so  necessary  to  their  work  has 
prevented  many  of  them  from  looming  conspicuously 
in  the  public  eye. 

The  grim  old  Tower  of  London  could  tell  many  a 
sensational  tale  if  its  stone  walls  had  the  power  of 
speech.  At  an  early  period  of  the  war  it  was  esti- 
mated that  at  least  a  dozen  spies  had  been  executed  in 
the  Tower. 

That  being  the  case,  how  many  spies  were  shot  with- 
out the  formality  of  being  brought  to  the  capital  for 
trial?  How  many  were  executed  after  hurried 
"drum-head"  court  martials?  It  is  safe  to  say  that 
hundreds  perished  and  that  most  of  them  will  go  down 
into  history  unnamed  and  unknown,  unhonored  and 
unsung. 

Every  one  of  the  nations  at  war  has  utilized  spies  of 

one  class  or  another.     Thev  were  captured  within  the 

309 


310    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

lines  disguised  as  women,  as  war  correspondents  — 
even  as  priests.  In  the  very  heart  of  the  city  of  Lon- 
don they  were  caught  masquerading  as  waiters,  as  cab 
drivers,  and  even  as  clerks  in  establishments,  both  man- 
ufacturing and  dispensing  munitions  of  war. 

Xow  and  then  there  were  glimpses  of  these  war 
tragedies  which  for  reasons  of  expediency  are  destined 
never  "to  see  the  light  of  day.  In  spite  of  the  censors 
there  were  fragments  of  stories  teeming  with  red 
blood  and  human  interest,  even  if  not  of  historic  im- 
portance. 

The  censorship  on  war  news  was  strict,  but  it  did 
not  begin  to  compare  with  that  applied  to  everything 
connected  with  the  apprehension,  trial  and  execution  of 
spies.  As  a  rule,  there  was  no  mention  at  all  of  these 
tragic  affairs,  although  earlier  in  the  war  readers  of 
the  London  newspapers  might  have  found  in  the  cor- 
ner of  an  inside  column  two  or  three  lines  merely  an- 
nouncing that  another  foreign  spy  had  met  his  doom. 
Who  can  describe  the  pathos  and  tragedy  lurking 
behind  those  few  words  of  cold  type? 

One  day  a  squad  of  soldiers  escorted  a  prisoner  into 
the  grim  gates  of  the  Tower.  He  had  been  caught 
making  tracings  of  a  barracks  somewhere,  and  he  was 
going  to  suffer  the  penalty  of  espionage  —  which  is 
death.  It  is  true  that  he  was  assured  of  a  trial  that 
day,  but  he  saw  inscribed  over  the  entrance  to  the 
Tower,  "  Abandon  hope,  all  ye  who  enter  here."  One 
could  see  the  ashy  look  on  the  poor  devil's  face  as  he 
went  through  the  Traitors'  Gate,  and  one  could  imag- 
ine all  of  the  details  of  the  impending  business  after  he 


CARL  LODY  311 

should  be  escorted  into  the  Lower  Green,  where  all  of 
the  official  executions  take  place. 

Women  spies  were  numerous  in  this  war,  and  as  a 
rule  they  were  more  successful  at  this  business  than  the 
men.  One  of  them  had  herself  banished  as  a  suspi- 
cious character  from  the  German  border.  This  was 
done  in  order  to  deceive  the  English  more  easily.  At 
one  of  the  barracks  outside  of  London  she  soon  won  a 
host  of  admirers  among  the  younger  officers.  It  hap- 
pened that  Kitchener  was  due  about  this  time  on  a 
visit  of  inspection  and  the  woman  determined  to  exer- 
cise her  wiles  on  him.  Did  she  succeed?  Let  the 
man  who  tells  the  story  answer  that  question. 

"  One  glance  at  the  gaunt  figure,  rugged  face  and 
piercing  eyes  of  the  man  who  had  avenged  Chinese 
Gordon  robbed  her  of  her  assurance.  She  realized 
that  this  man,  instead  of  being  a  puppet,  would  be  a 
master.  She  fled  for  her  life  and  was  never  seen 
again." 

Some  time  after  that  Felice  Schmidt  made  her 
appearance  at  ^Marseilles  in  the  role  of  an  apple  seller. 
She  was  in  that  neighborhood  for  many  days  and  evi- 
dently was  acquainting  herself  with  the  fortifications 
with  a  view  to  informing  the  Germans  of  the  condi- 
tions existing  there.  She  was  young  and  beautiful 
and  spoke  French  with  a  fluency  that  deceived  the  sol- 
diers and  the  natives  of  the  town.  The  French  sol- 
diers, with  characteristic  gallantry,  treated  her  with 
much  consideration.  But  one  day  she  was  found  in  a 
secluded  spot  making  a  sketch  of  one  of  the  big  guns. 
This   led   to   an    investigation.     Incriminating   papers 


312    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

were  found  in  her  possession.  She  was  tried  by  the 
council  of  war  of  the  Fifteenth  Legion,  convicted  of 
espionage  and  put  to  death  at  the  Lighthouse  shooting 
range. 

Whatever  feeling  the  British  public  have  had  against 
Carl  Lody  as  a  German  spy,  they  conclude  that  he  went 
to  his  death  with  the  courage  of  a  soldier.  Since  his 
execution  it  has  been  whispered  that  he  had  a  romance 
with  a  young  girl  in  Berlin,  and  that  had  he  succeeded 
in  returning  to  Germany,  he  would  have  been  wel- 
comed with  open  arms  by  a  rosy-cheeked  damsel  who 
loved  him  for  the  dangers  he  had  braved.  In  some 
ways  his  case  was  similar  to  that  of  the  unfortunate 
Major  Andre,  who  was  captured  as  a  British  spy  dur- 
ing the  American  revolution  and  condemned  to  death. 
On  the  night  before  he  was  executed,  Lody  spent  his 
time  in  the  Tower  writing  letters  to  those  nearest  and 
dearest  to  him.  One  of  these  pathetic  missives  was 
addressed  to  his  sister  and  read  as  follows : 

"  My  darling :  I  have  trusted  in  my  God  and  He 
has  decided.  Through  many  of  the  dangers  of  life 
He  has  guided  me  and  has  always  saved  me.  More 
than  to  millions  of  others  He  has  shown  to  me  the 
beauties  of  this  world  and  I  may  not  complain.  My 
hour  has  struck  and  I  must  take  my  way  through  the 
dark  valley  as  many  of  my  good,  brave  comrades  have 
during  this  dreadful  struggle  of  nations. 

"  Where  I  am  going  there  is  no  worry  and  there  are 
no  alarms.  May  my  life  be  judged  worthy  to  be  an 
humble  sacrifice  on  the  altar  of  the  Fatherland.     The 


CARL  LODY  313 

death  of  a  hero  on  the  battlefield  is  perhaps  more  beau- 
tiful, but  that  has  not  been  my  lot.  I  die  here  in  a  hos- 
tile land,  silent  and  unknown ;  yet  the  consciousness 
that  I  die  in  the  service  of  my  country  makes  death 
easier.     I  shall  die  as  an  officer,  not  a  spy." 

It  is  estimated  that  nearly  one  hundred  persons  have 
been  tried  for  espionage  in  Belgium  alone  and  that  at 
least  thirty  of  these  have  been  put  to  death  by  the  Ger- 
mans. The  list  includes  a  former  burgomaster  of 
Hisselt.  The  spirit  of  the  Belgians,  in  spite  of  their 
trying  position,  has  amazed  friend  and  foe  alike. 

The  story  of  a  young  woman  who  tried  to  serve  her 
country  and  the  Allies  reads  like  the  pages  of  an  old 
romance.  She  managed  to  get  a  passport  from  a  Ger- 
man officer  giving  her  the  right  to  leave  Belgium,  but 
before  going  she  got  into  the  German  camp  and  became 
possessed  of  some  valuable  information  relating  to  the 
future  movements  of  the  army.  This  was  sketched 
on  thin  paper,  placed  inside  the  lining  of  her  hat.  Her 
whole  aim  now  was  to  get  out  of  Belgium  without 
being  searched. 

She  secured  a  conveyance  and  started  for  the  border. 
At  intervals  of  every  few  miles  she  was  halted  and 
searched. 

But  as  her  passport  was  a  letter  of  recommenda- 
tion, these  searches  were  fortunately  of  a  perfunctory 
character.  At  last  she  reached  the  point  where  it  was 
needful  to  pass  only  one  more  sentinel.  As  she  ap- 
proached this  point,  near  the  border,  she  heard  the 
order : 


314    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

"  Halt  —  who  goes  there  ?  " 

The  vehicle  was  stopped  and  the  sentinel,  after 
looking  at  her  papers,  made  the  customary  search.  It 
revealed  nothing  of  a  forbidding  nature.  She  was 
congratulating  herself  that  all  was  well  when  the  wife 
of  a  German  officer  advanced  and  asked  the  sentinel : 

"  Have  you  looked  in  the  lining  of  her  hat?  " 

The  girl's  heart  fell,  as  well  it  might.  The  sentinel 
made  a  second  search  and  found  the  incriminating  doc- 
ument.    She  was  tried,  convicted  and  shot  as  a  spy. 

Another  tale  relates  to  a  German  spy  who  actually 
enlisted  with  a  Scottish  regiment  in  France.  He  was 
blonde  and  looked  like  a  native  of  Scotland.  Indeed, 
there  was  no  trace  of  German  accent  in  his  conversa- 
tion. He  must  have  lived  in  Scotland  for  some  years 
as  he  had  an  astonishing  amount  of  information  con- 
cerning that  country.  Some  of  his  fellow  soldiers 
insisted  that  he  even  had  a  bit  of  burr  on  his  tongue,  so 
much,  did  his  conversation  resemble  that  of  a  real  Scot. 
At  all  events,  he  is  said  to  have  gained  command  of  a 
company  of  Scotch  Fusiliers.  He  gave  the  order  to 
charge  and  led  his  men  into  a  trap.  Whether  he  tried 
to  escape  is  not  known,  but,  at  all  events,  the  ruse  was 
discovered  and  an  investigation  made.  The  result  sat- 
isfied the  authorities  that  a  spy  was  in  their  midst,  and 
under  orders  from  the  colonel  of  the  regiment  this  pre- 
tended Scot  w^as  taken  out  and  shot. 

Another  case  that  has  caused  no  end  of  discussion 
concerns  a  woman  known  as  Fanny  La  Place.  It  was 
said  at  one  time  that  she  was  German  and  her  case  has 
been  compared  with  that  of  Edith  Cavell,  the  British 


CARL  LODY  315 

nurse  who  was  put  to  death  at  Brussels.  But  this  par- 
allel is  denied  strenuously  by  the  French,  who  give  out 
a  statement  to  the  contrary.  According  to  this  infor- 
mation, her  right  name  was  Felice  Pfast.  She  was  a 
French  woman  born  at  Nancy  in  1890.  She  went  to 
Metz  in  19 14  and  later  received  permission  to  visit  her 
mother  in  Belgium.  While  there,  it  is  said,  a  German 
official  proposed  that  she  gather  military  information 
in  Paris.  She  spent  three  weeks  in  Paris  and  then 
reported  the  results  to  Germans,  who,  she  admitted, 
paid  her  5,000  francs  to  undertake  another  mission. 
She  was  caught  in  the  act  of  spying  at  Marseilles  and 
admitted  she  had  been  commissioned  to  gather  military 
information.  On  Jul}^  10  she  was  unanimously  con- 
demned to  death  by  a  court-martial. 

Another  alleged  spy  in  the  great  war  was  Captain 
Otto  Feinat  of  the  Russian  army.  He  was  well 
known  in  Ruman  and  was  in  charge  of  the  judicial 
proceedings  following  the  Jewish  massacres  at  Kish- 
ineff  in  1903.  He  held  responsible  military  positions 
after  that,  but  it  was  lately  claimed  that  he  had  been  in 
some  compromising  correspondence  with  some  friends 
in  Germany.  The  evidence  against  him  was  circum- 
stantial. He  protested  from  the  outset  that  he  was 
loyal  to  Russia,  but  in  spite  of  this  he  was  condemned 
and  sent  to  Siberia  for  a  long  term  of  penal  servitude. 

Was  he  guilty?  Who  can  tell?  He  had  the  con- 
solation —  maybe  a  poor  consolation  —  of  knowing 
that  scores  of  other  Russian  officers  have  lately  been 
sent  into  banishment  on  circumstantial  evidence. 

Then  there  is  the  remarkable  story  of  Colonel  Mias- 


316    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

soyedorff,  who  was  attached  to  the  staff  of  the  Russian 
Tenth-  army  corps  in  East  Prussia.  The  Tenth  was 
one  of  those  that  met  with  disastrous  defeat  in  the 
Mazuirian  lake  district.  It  was  under  the  command  of 
General  Rennykampf,  and  in  one  of  these  defeats  lost 
70,000  prisoners.  In  a  second  defeat  it  lost  50,000. 
The  circumstances  in  each  case  were  similar.  The 
unexpected  arrival  of  a  large  force  of  Germans  served 
to  defeat  the  invaders,  and  caused  them  to  take  to  their 
heels,  thus  transforming  an  anticipated  victory  into  a 
most  humiliating  rout. 

An  investigation  was  started  and  all  of  the  circum- 
stances pointed  in  the  direction  of  Miassoyedorff,  an 
interpreter  on  the  staff  of  the  Tenth  army.  One  sol- 
dier said  that  he  recognized  Miassoyedorff  as  a  man 
who  had  been  connected  at  one  time  with  the  German 
army.  It  was  further  alleged  that  at  the  outbreak  of 
hostilities  he  had  been  the  head  of  the  German  spy  sys- 
tem and  one  of  the  highest  officers  of  the  political 
police.  Charged  with  these  former  connections,  he 
denied  them  most  emphatically. 

"  I  deny  the  charge,"  he  cried,  "  and  I  defy  my  ene- 
mies to  produce  the  slightest  proof  of  its  truth." 

Further  charges  were  made  that  while  he  was  in 
command  of  frontier  guards  at  Verjoblova,  only  a  few 
miles  from  the  border,  he  had  repeatedly  visited  the 
Kaiser  and  made  reports  to  him.  When  asked  what 
he  had  to  say  to  this  second  charge  he  merely  folded 
his  arms,  smiled  and  said : 

"I  deny  it!" 

But  appearances  were  against  him,  and  after  th^ 


WILLIAM  J.  1-LYNN 


CARL  LODY  317 

defeats  they  had  just  sustained,  the  Russians  were  in  a 
mood  to  accept  any  explanation  of  their  humiliation. 
So  Colonel  Miassoyedorff,  in  spite  of  his  protestations, 
was  declared  guilty  and  was  executed. 

Was  he  an  innocent  man,  or  was  he  the  spy  of  the 
Kaiser? 

History  may  tell  us  the  truth,  but  history  in  cases  of 
this  kind  is  just  as  apt  to  be  in  error  as  contempora- 
neous reports.  Such  men  are  unknown,  unhonored 
and  unsung  for  two  reasons.  The  first  is  that  the 
very  nature  of  their  profession  renders  it  necessary  for 
them  to  lead  a  dual  existence.  If  they  are  innocent, 
their  innocence  is  rarely  proclaimed  because  it  would 
be  an  admission  of  error.  And  whoever  heard  of  such 
an  admission?  On  the  other  hand,  if  they  are  actually 
spies  those  who  care  for  them  most  would  fain  permit 
their  memory  to  rest  in  peace. 

The  story  of  the  activity  of  German  spies  in  the 
United  States  would  make  a  book  in  itself,  but  it  would 
be  disconnected,  fragmentary  and  unsatisfactory. 
There  have  been  any  number  of  unproved  charges, 
any  amount  of  unfinished  stories  and  countless  plots 
that  never  came  to  a  head.  But  enough  has  been 
proven  to  indicate  that  this  country  has  been  filled  with 
spies  and  special  agents  of  the  Kaiser.  Chief  Flynn, 
of  the  United  States  Secret  Service,  with  the  com- 
paratively small  force  under  his  direction,  has  per- 
formed wonders  in  ferreting  out  these  oflFenders  against 
the  peace  and  honor  of  this  country.  Scores  of  ar- 
rests have  been  made  and  there  have  been  a  number  of 
important  convictions.     Most  of  these  have  been  in 


318    THE  AYORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

connection  with  the  destruction  of  munition  plants,  and 
a  few  ha\-e  been  violations  of  our  laws  in  an  endeavor 
to  hatch  plots  against  Great  Britain  and  France. 

Perhaps  the  most  striking  instance  of  pernicious 
activity  on  the  part  of  German  representatives  was  that 
of  Captain  Karl  Boy-Ed  and  Captain  Franz  von 
Papen,  naval  and  military  attaches,  respectively,  of  the 
German  Embassy  at  Washington.  For  a  long  time 
they  were  a  thorn  in  the  side  of  the  American  Gov- 
ernment. The  President  and  the  Secretary  of  State 
were  reluctant  to  act  because  of  their  desire  to  preserve 
friendly  relations  with  the  German  nation.  Finally, 
conditions  became  unbearable,  and  on  the  last  of  Octo- 
ber, 19 1 6,  the  State  Department  asked  for  the  recall 
of  Boy-Ed  and  von  Papen.  It  was  announced  at  the 
time  that  the  action  of  this  Government  against  the 
German  attaches  was  due  to  no  single  incident  in  either 
case,  but  was  based  on  an  accumulation  of  improper 
activities  connected  with  the  handling  of  German  mili- 
tary and  naval  matters  in  this  country.  It  was  hinted 
at  the  time  that  one  of  the  strongest  reasons  for  the  ac- 
tion was  the  connection  of  one  of  the  attaches  with  a 
movement  to  set  up  a  scheme  in  Mexico  detrimental  to 
the  interests  of  the  United  States. 

One  can  only  marvel  at  the  patience  of  our  Govern- 
ment under  the  circumstances.  Captain  Boy-Ed's 
name  at  the  time  was  prominently  mentioned  in  con- 
nection with  the  Richard  Peter  Stengel  passport  case, 
with  the  Werner  Horn  dynamiting  case,  and  with  the 
queer  diplomatic  fiasco  in  connection  with  the  case  of 
Dr.   Constantine   Dumba,   the  Austrian   Ambassador. 


CARL  LODY  319 

Germany  informed  the  United  States  on  December  6, 
1916,  that  she  desired  to  know  upon  what  grounds  the 
State  Department  asked  for  the  withdrawal  of  Cap- 
tains Boy-Ed  and  von  Papen.  Secretary  Lansing,  on 
the  following  day,  replied  that  the  military  and  naval 
activities  of  the  attaches  constituted  their  principal 
offense,  but  did  not  discuss  the  facts  or  the  sources  of 
information.  On  December  10,  Count  von  Bernstoff, 
the  German  Ambassador,  informed  Secretary  Lansing 
that  the  German  Emperor  had  acquiesced  in  the  request 
of  the  United  States  for  the  withdraw^al  of  the  attaches, 
and  before  the  end  of  the  year  both  of  them  had  de- 
parted for  Germany. 

Events  moved  rapidly  in  the  United  States  after 
that.  On  Saturday,  February  3,  Ambassador  Bern- 
stoff was  given  his  passports,  and  on  April  6,  19 17,  the 
Congress,  upon  the  recommendation  of  the  President, 
declared  that  a  state  of  war  existed  with  Germany. 
From  that  day  forth  the  Secret  Service,  and  all  of  the 
forces  of  the  Government  were  used  in  rounding  up 
and  arresting  spies  and  suspects. 

Many  hundreds  of  arrests  were  made  by  Secret 
Service  agents  and  other  officers  of  the  Government 
and  a  score  of  convictions  secured.  A  large  number 
of  suspected  persons  were  interned  at  Fort  Oglethorpe, 
in  Georgia.  Probably  not  one  of  the  arrested  persons 
could  be  ranked  as  a  great  military  spy,  and  yet  when 
all  of  their  activities  were  pieced  together  they  must 
have  been  of  great  value  to  the  Imperial  German  Gov- 
ernment. The  varied  character  of  the  work  they  were 
doing  for  the  enemy  indicated  that  it  must  have  been 


320    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

more  or  less  systematized,  and  that  it  was  in  all  prob- 
ability under  the  direction  of  some  one  person  acting 
as  the  master  spy. 

For  instance,  on  the  15th  of  July,  1917,  an  alien  was 
indicted  by  the  Federal  Grand  Jury,  in  New  Orleans, 
on  the  charge  of  being  a  spy.  It  was  learned  that  the 
man  had  been  hovering  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
local  naval  station  for  many  days  at  a  time.  Once  he 
was  seen  to  be  making  notes  in  a  book.  At  a  given 
time  his  rooms  were  searched,  and  the  authorities 
found  a  number  of  blue  prints  and  plans  of  the  naval 
station  in  his  possession.  He  was  indicted  on  the 
charge  of  obtaining  this  information  clandestinely 
"  and  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  it  to  the  enemy,  the 
Imperial  German  Government,  against  the  peace  and 
dignity  of  the  United  States."  The  case  attracted 
much  interest  because  it  was  the  first  time  since  the 
days  of  reconstruction  that  any  one  had  been  indicted 
in  New  Orleans  for  a  plot  against  the  United  States. 

About  the  time  of  the  New  Orleans  incident  a  Ger- 
man nobleman  was  arrested  in  Toledo,  Ohio,  for  activ- 
ity in  the  interest  of  the  Kaiser.  The  man  had  made 
a  sensational  escape  from  Canada,  about  eighteen 
months  previously.  He  had  been  arrested  in  Quebec 
on  a  spy  charge,  and  was  being  taken  in  an  automobile 
to  St.  Thomas,  Ontario.  Near  the  outskirts  of  the 
town  he  attacked  the  official  who  was  driving  the  car, 
and  knocking  him  into  a  state  of  insensibility,  escaped. 
He  took  the  badge  and  the  revolver  of  the  stricken 
man,  and  made  his  way  to  the  United  States,  coming 
into  this  country  by  way  of  the  Niagara  Falls  bridge. 


CARL  LODY  321 

He  admitted  that  he  had  once  been  a  captain  in  the 
German  army,  but  denied  that  he  had  engaged  in  any 
unhiwful  business  in  the  United  States. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  participation  of  the  United 
States  in  the  war,  and  when  the  people  of  this  country 
did  not  even  know  of  the  departure  of  our  war  vessels 
for  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  the  fact  of  their  de- 
parture was  published  in  Berlin,  four  days  before  they 
actually  arrived  in  Queenstown.  This  was  a  serious 
leak,  to  say  the  least.  The  American  newspapers  scru- 
pulously observed  the  request  of  the  Secretary  of  the 
Na\'y  to  avoid  publishing  the  date  of  the  departure  or 
arrival  of  any  vessel.  Where  did  the  Berlin  author- 
ities obtain  their  information?  That  was  a  question 
which  agitated  many  persons.  It  was  solved  when 
the  Secret  Service,  early  in  July,  of  1917,  arrested 
three  men  in  New  York,  for  conducting  a  private 
postal  service,  in  the  interest  of  Germany.  It  was 
claimed  that  for  months  they  had  been  sending  "  mail  " 
to  Scandinavian  countries  for  transmission  to  Ger- 
many. These  letters  were  entrusted  to  the  sailors  on 
the  ships,  and  ordered  to  be  handed  to  certain  persons 
in  Norway  and  Sv/eden,  and  ])y  them  sent  to  their  des- 
tination in  the  German  Capital. 

Several  bundles  of  these  letters  were  seized  by  the 
representatives  of  the  American  Government.  It  is  a 
significant  fact  that  many  of  them  were  in  code.  They 
came  from  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  and  from 
Mexico  and  South  and  Central  America.  The  letters 
were  written  in  English,  Spanish  and  German.  Some 
of  them  were  business  communications,  and  were  ad- 


322    THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  SPIES 

mittedly  harmless.  It  was  proven  that  this  novel 
"  mail  service  "  worked  in  both  directions,  letters  going 
to  and  from  Germany.  It  was  also  shown  that  remote 
parts  of  Mexico  were  in  wireless  communication  with 
Berlin.  Significance  was  also  attached  to  the  fact  that 
parts  of  wireless  outfits  had  been  brought  in  on  some 
of  the  Scandinavian  boats,  and  that  these  were  after- 
ward erected  in  Mexico.  None  of  the  men  were  sub- 
jected to  any  pressure  on  the  part  of  United  States  offi- 
cials, and  all  were  told  that  they  had  the  right  to  be 
represented  by  counsel,  if  they  so  desired. 

But  these  arrests  in  different  sections  of  the  country, 
almost  simultaneously,  and  the  varied  character  of  the 
activity  of  the  men  involved,  helps  to  confirm  the  state- 
ment, made  on  the  floor  of  the  Senate,  that  during  and 
before  the  war,  we  had  thousands  of  German  spies  in 
the  United  States. 


THE   END 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


'S^^ 


^UL  6  3  1985 


OCT  \  ?  ^^ 


»   '"'MAYUa  t. 


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